Growing digital dependence made societies more vulnerable to outages, cyberattacks: Vint Cerf, Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist

An increasing digital dependence has made societies more vulnerable to outages and cyberattacks, cautioned Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, in Bengaluru on Monday (November 10, 2025).

Mr. Cerf, also known as one of the fathers of the Internet, urged engineers to design resilient networks and called for a stronger focus on resilience and redundancy in global communication systems as Internet dependence deepened globally.

“The next phase of networking will be defined by resilience, diversity, and ubiquitous access,’’ he stated while delivering a keynote at Future Networks World Forum 2025, in Bengaluru.

“The Internet is here to stay, and it’s going to get bigger and bigger,” he further said.

He also spoke about the future of networking that was unfolding through the expansion of subsea fibre systems and the rise of low-Earth-orbit satellite networks, which are extending connectivity to remote regions, ocean routes, Pacific Islands, shipping roues, and places where cables are impractical.

“Physically diverse cable infrastructure makes the system more resilient,” he pointed out citing Google’s own investments in redundant subsea networks.

Mr. Cerf recalled a recent cyber disruption incident that happened at London’s Heathrow Airport, where check-ins had to be done using mobile QR readers and cloud-based systems.

“The episode underscored the need for built-in recovery mechanisms in critical digital infrastructure. If your mobile doesn’t work, you’re going to have a bad day,” he warned.

According to Mr. Cert, AI and quantum technologies are key vectors shaping the next chapter of Internet evolution, alongside space-based and tactile Internet applications.

Admonishing network engineers, he said, “They have to ask: what could go wrong and what could someone else cause you to go wrong, to ensure systems remain resistant to any kind of downtimes, failure and malicious interference.’’

“Because billions of people are relying on you and me to make communication systems work — on demand. Remember that,’’ pioneer of the Internet further said, adding, “The next phase of networking will be defined not only by reach, but by its ability to withstand failure.”