0

News of cyber attacks and personal data breaches frequently make headlines nowadays, particularly in Asia Pacific*, and every time a new incident happens, it deals a blow to the trust of some users. Since cyber threats are grave and growing, society must understand how policymakers are addressing cybersecurity concerns, and what can be done to strengthen trust.
A United Nations agency recently launched a tool to do exactly that. Against the backdrop of increasingly complex cybersecurity policies around the world, the portal aims to “enhance informed participation in key policy processes by all relevant stakeholders”, thus facilitating information sharing, capacity building, and trust and cooperation in cyberspace. We spent some time with it to evaluate the state of cybersecurity in Asia Pacific and to highlight the importance of the issue.
The Cyber Policy Portal, released this month by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), maps the global cybersecurity capability landscape, covering all 193 of the UN Member States, 13 intergovernmental organizations, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a number of multilateral frameworks.
The interactive map draws from public information and, where applicable, carries links to original documents. Systematically, it answers some of the salient questions Continue reading