Turvalisuse

Turvalisus, or security, refers to the state of being protected from harm and able to function in the presence of threats. It spans individual safety, organizational protection, information and cyber security, and national resilience. The objective of turvalisus is to prevent risks from causing damage, to mitigate their consequences, and to restore normal conditions quickly after incidents.

At the personal level, turvalisus includes measures to prevent crime, accidents, and violence, as well as planning for emergencies, safe behavior, and access to support services. For organizations, security involves physical protection of premises, access control, employee safety, continuity planning, and incident response.

Information and cyber security focus on safeguarding data, networks, and information systems against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or disruption. This includes protecting privacy, ensuring service availability, and complying with legal data protection requirements. In modern societies, critical infrastructure such as energy, water, transportation, and telecommunications requires robust cyber and physical security.

National security encompasses the protection of a state’s sovereignty, borders, institutions, and population from threats such as aggression, terrorism, espionage, natural disasters, and large-scale disruption. This requires intelligence, defense, policing, border control, emergency management, and international cooperation.

In Estonia, turvalisus is supported by a combination of public institutions, laws, and standards, with a strong emphasis on digital security and resilience. Key actors include internal security and law enforcement agencies, civil protection authorities, and the armed forces, as well as European and transatlantic partners. Policy frameworks typically address risk assessment, prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery to maintain safety and stability.