Innovative digital thinking can help us deal with the possible security threats cautiously. Dr Sukhvinder Singh Dari lists skills that law aspirants must have to make a lucrative career in the field

The world we live in today largely revolves around technology and digitisation. New innovations, AI, big data, and artificial intelligence are unfolding new solutions (and problems) everyday; consequently, enabling the rise of new types of business models and associations.

However, the most important thing to note here is that with each new solution comes the possibility of a new security issue that needs to be resolved.

For instance, we are now witnessing a major rise in the consumption of digital media, be it through social interaction channels like Facebook or Instagram, or through content consumption channels like YouTube. Gone are the days when you had to be of certain age to own a mobile phone (along with digitisation, this is another issue of perspective and individual parenting styles, so we will not be focusing on whether it is right or wrong for now); but this is the perfect example of how innovative digital thinking can help us deal with the possible security threats cautiously.

Let us take the example of YouTube. YouTube recognised the advent of content consumption from its platform from people of all ages, and they came up with the idea of creating another specialised section —- YouTube Kids that allows parents to keep a check on their kids activities and recognise any possible cyber-bullying or other perils — a perfect solution to deliver what is best for the changed consumer behaviour.

Now coming back to why such innovative digital thinking is an important skill to master for law aspirants, it is because lawyers are the indispensable partners for tech giants. Whether we talk about tech companies or individual developers and programmers, they need to understand the extents and restrictions under law to be able to construct the ensuing integral decentralised architecture of the future all while protecting the rights of their consumers.

Besides this, teaching innovative digital thinking to the law aspirants, especially those interested in cybersecurity law, can instil the necessary skills relevant to succeed in this age of digital transformation, such as:

Critical thinking for complex problem solving

Digitisation has brought our world face-to-face with overly complex fact patterns, which require vigilant analysis and creative problem-solving. While the traditional concepts can teach law aspirants how to deal with the commonly faced and previously known challenges, introducing them to the art of innovative digital thinking can prepare them to face the unknown challenges that may arise with further evolution of technology.

Consequential thinking

Consequential thinking is crucial in the digital age. By learning this essential skill, law aspirants can be better prepared in case our traditional systems and assumptions need to be remodelled and require thorough study and analysis of the proposable rules and regulations for the new technological architecture along with their effects on human (or consumer) behaviour. 

Flexibility in legal thinking

Legal thinking customarily includes “looking in reverse” and expanding on points of references and analogies with an accentuation on past rules and encounters. Introduction to innovative thinking can aid in changing the outlook of law aspirants and help them realise the need to not just focus on the fundamental beliefs of legal training and reasoning, but also adjust it, as the situation demands, to make it more fitting for a computerised age.

To sum up, a training curriculum incorporating innovative digital thinking is essential to aid law aspirants in gaining the requisite skills to be able play their role as key partners for tech companies and developers in designing the decentralised architecture of future. After all, this new architecture will direct our society towards the digital change that will decide the fate of how we live, work, and learn.

The writer is Director, Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur