Standards, Spyware, and $10 per iPhone: A Cybersecurity Pioneer's Inside Story

An Exclusive Look at the Future of Digital Security with Industry Veteran Janne Uusilehto

In a digital world dominated by constant cyber threats from ransomware crippling hospitals to geopolitical power plays, who is building the foundational walls that protect us? It’s not just giant tech companies creating proprietary security products; it’s a global, often invisible, effort to build and deploy standards.

In this issue of Deep Policy, we borrow from the most recent episode of our sister publication Deep Pockets podcast and dive into a fascinating discussion with Janne Uusilehto, a pioneer who has led security and privacy engineering at tech titans like Nokia, Microsoft, and Google, and advised organizations from the EU to NATO. He explains why these “boring” rules are the key to innovation and what truly keeps security leaders up at night.

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Standards: The Unsung Heroes of Innovation (and Profit)

For many of us in the generic, wider audience, standards might sound dull. But as Uusilehto explains, they are the bedrock of modern digital security.

“The one really general rule is, complexity is the biggest enemy of security,” Uusilehto notes. Standardized security is usually well-tested, transparent, and regularly updated, which helps simplify the system. By providing a shared, strong foundation, standards offer security professionals “peace of mind” and allow them to focus on new challenges.

In fact, standards don’t stifle innovation, they enable it. Just as with some regulations, a predictable rulebook will allow companies to innovate on top of a stable base and avoid unnecessary guesswork.

The $10 Per iPhone Example

I’ve argued that the most compelling reason for companies to engage in standardization is Future Passive Income. Here’s a great example from lived experience; Early telecom players like Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola had the foresight to inject their essential patents into 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G standards. Together with dozens of Nokia colleagues, we represented the company in several standards bodies, working towards injecting Nokia’s intellectual property into the standards.

Fast forward today,