Global Voices Summit 2024 public days. Photo used with permission.

By Annie Zimmerman

Asia Centre conducted a 90-minute training session during the Global Voices Summit 2024, focusing on enhancing digital security for high-risk individuals in the Asia-Pacific region. The session covered essential digital tools and strategies to counter digital security threats, empowering participants to develop their own strategies based on the unique context of their countries.

Asia Centre, based in Bangkok, Thailand, is a civil society research institute dedicated to promoting Freedom of Expression (FoE) through technology, with long-term partnerships with Google. The centre has regional hubs in Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand and focuses on issues such as freedom of belief, expression, assembly, and political participation. Their work includes research, advocacy, and media amplification.

The session trainer, Sanjay Gathia, the program manager at Asia Centre, brings extensive experience working in restrictive environments, having worked for seven years in Myanmar. The session began with introductions from participants.

The training introduced new tools and trends in digital security, with a special emphasis on emerging threats such as phishing, AI exploitation, quantum computing, IoT vulnerabilities, ransomware, and cloud security. The training aimed to build awareness of these accelerating threats, particularly in Asia, and included practical tools to enhance personal digital security.

Emerging digital security threats

A summary of the digital security threat landscape is as follows:

• Nature of Threats: Highly targeted, rapid, and expanding across new devices like IoT.
• Accelerators of Threats: Phishing, AI, quantum computing, and IoT, alongside the growing role of state and non-state actors in exploiting vulnerabilities.
• Key Threat Actors: State and non-state actors, including governments, PR firms, influencers, and foreign entities.
• High-Risk Users: Human rights defenders, journalists, government officials, and their families are particularly vulnerable.

Some of the key issues which increase the prevalence of digital security threats include gaps in privacy legislation and digital safety units. Another concern is increased state surveillance and information operations, particularly in Asia, where disinformation campaigns and cross-border threats are prominent.

The session covered common threats like credential theft, data breaches, malware, AI-driven deepfakes, doxxing, and DDoS attacks. Participants engage in a phishing quiz to better understand visual confusion tactics and discuss case studies from Nepal and Taiwan, highlighting the risks of inadequate digital safety measures and legislation.

Participants discuss the digital landscape in their countries, the impact of restrictive laws on data privacy, and the gaps in data protection that leave individuals vulnerable to cybercrimes.

This training is part of a Google partnership program that operates across multiple countries in the region, with East Timor as the next destination.