News and announcements

Inaugural ROK-Australia Cyber and Critical Technology Policy Dialogue

andrew.mackay — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 01:16:56 +0000

Inaugural ROK-Australia Cyber and Critical Technology Policy Dialogue andrew.mackay Fri, 2021-12-10 12:16

Media Release

The inaugural Australia-Republic of Korea (ROK) Cyber and Critical Technology Policy Dialogue was held virtually on 9 December 2021. The Dialogue was held under the auspices of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation, signed by Foreign Ministers on 13 September 2021.

Australia and the ROK are currently celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Our relations are underpinned by shared values and interests, complementary economies and strong people-to-people links. We both seek to support an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

Australia and the ROK reaffirmed their commitment to an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful cyberspace, based on shared democratic values to achieve common goals of security and prosperity.

Australia and the ROK reaffirmed their commitment to promoting peace and security in cyberspace based on existing international law, voluntary and non-binding norms of responsible state behaviour, practical confidence building measures, and cooperative capacity building measures.

The two sides discussed a wide range of cyber and critical technology issues, including enhancing information sharing; bilateral cooperation to raise awareness and build capacity across the region; driving shared economic prosperity and security by shaping the design, development and use of secure cyber and critical technologies; and, elevating multilateral cooperation on norms and standards.

Both countries agreed to work together to coordinate on outcomes for capacity building and in multilateral forums. They agreed to share information on issues of mutual interest, including supporting cybercrime investigations, critical technology standards, and engagement with the private sector and academia.

Both sides recognised the importance of working together with the technology industry to ensure the design, deployment and use of secure, resilient technology in the region. The participants further recognised the need to establish and strengthen links between the government, private sector and academia to advance research and development on cyber and critical technology issues.

The Australian delegation was led by the Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr. Tobias Feakin. The Korean delegation was led by the Ambassador for International Security Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lee Choong-myon.

Inaugural ROK-Australia Cyber and Critical Technology Policy Dialogue

Launch of Australia’s International Cyber and Critical Technology Engagement Strategy

andrew.mackay — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 23:16:34 +0000

Launch of Australia’s International Cyber and Critical Technology Engagement Strategy andrew.mackay Wed, 2021-04-21 09:16

Media Release

The Australian Government has today launched Australia's International Cyber and Critical Technology Engagement Strategy, setting out our goal for a safe, secure and prosperous Australia, Indo-Pacific and world, enabled by cyberspace and critical technology.

This Strategy comes as technology is changing the way we live and work, and impacting economic, strategic and foreign policy developments.

Based on three key pillars of values, security and prosperity, this framework will guide Australia's practical international engagement across cyber and critical technology issues, in order to create an environment that embraces the enormous opportunities of innovation while avoiding and mitigating the risks.

The Strategy's aims, to strengthen national security, protect our democracy and sovereignty, promote economic growth, and pursue international peace and stability, are founded in Australia's national interests.

Key to this Strategy is a package that will support cyber and critical technology resilience in our region:

Australia will co-sponsor a proposal to establish a new United Nations Program of Action for Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace
The flagship Cyber Cooperation Program will become the Cyber and Critical Tech Cooperation Program, including an additional $20.5 million to strengthen cyber and critical technology resilience in Southeast Asia
We will contribute a further $17 million to support neighbours in the Pacific to strengthen their cyber capabilities and resilience, including to fight cybercrime, improve online safety, and counter disinformation and misinformation
Australia will also support a partnership with Standards Australia in Southeast Asia, a partnership with the University of Technology, Sydney in Southeast Asia and a partnership with Trustwave in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu

Three grants have also been successful under the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership program:

The Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney and India's Observer Research Foundation
La Trobe University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
The School of Computer Science at the University of Sydney, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Reliance Jio and the University of New South Wales

The transcript for Senator Marise Payne's speech at the launch of the Strategy can be viewed here.

The Strategy can be read in full here: www.internationalcybertech.gov.au

Media enquiries

Minister's office: (02) 6277 7500
DFAT Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555

International Women’s Day 2023 - “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”

jeevan.aryal — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 23:09:04 +0000

International Women’s Day 2023 - “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” jeevan.aryal Wed, 2023-03-08 10:09

This International Women’s Day, the Cyber and Critical Tech Cooperation Program (CCTCP) celebrates the important work our delivery partners are doing to create a more inclusive and equitable cyber environment for all, recognising the significant opportunities and risks that the internet poses for gender equality. The CCTCP currently funds ten projects targeting gender equality in the Indo-Pacific region and supports 30+ partners to mainstream gender, disability, and social inclusion across their cyber and critical tech development projects to achieve a more secure, stable, equitable and inclusive internet environment necessary to achieve sustainable development in the region.
The expansion of mobile networks and adoption of new technologies in the Indo-Pacific presents exciting opportunities for economic and human development, and for marginalised groups’ organising and activism in the region. However, women and girls – particularly those facing multiple disadvantages due to poverty, disability, sexuality, ethnicity, or other factors – are at risk of being left behind in the race to adopt technology and get online.

Around the world, women are less likely to have meaningful online access, be cyber literate, and consequently work in the sector. They are less likely to be taught ICT in schools than boys and can be dissuaded from pursuing related careers due to masculine stereotypes of tech jobs, unfriendly workplace cultures and the lack of visibility and advancement of women in the sector. Take for example, the experience of a CCTCP project participant that said, “The nature of my job at a computer system centre means that the majority of the employees are men. Clients frequently believe that women working in computer systems and networks cannot perform as well as men”. The limited representation of women is not limited to technical jobs in the sector, it can also be seen in cyber-related legal and governance roles, with implications for inclusion in standards and policy settings.

A higher risk of online harm also means women are less likely to meaningfully engage online and benefit from emerging services, tools, information, education, economic opportunities and networks. Levels of cyber harassment, stalking, doxing, revenge porn, discrimination and physical threats can be up to 3 times higher for women than men. CCTCP partner, ABC International Development, who worked in Tonga and Vanuatu to promote online safety for young girls and women through their project ‘Girls Online (GO!): Participating meaningfully and safely in cyberspace', shared a quote from a workshop participant, showing how existing bias and discrimination can amplify misogyny online; “There was a social media post about a girl who had jumped out from a bus trying to escape at 10.00pm from a cruel driver and a guy was commenting negatively on this. He said, ‘you are a girl, you should stay quiet at home. You should make the right choice’".

According to CCTCP partner Deakin University, technology-based forms of domestic violence are increasing, which infringes on women’s cyber security, physical safety, and their digital participation. The university is working with Pacific partners in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu to document the prevalence and impact of this phenomenon. Human rights and women’s rights agencies and women human rights defenders are also targeted in online attacks that involve disinformation, misinformation and hate speech aimed at undermining their influence, voice and online participation. One of CCTCP’s partners, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is co-designing training with local partners to support these individuals’ and agencies’ ability to protect, defend and advocate against targeted abuse of this type. Cybercrime legislation, policing, support services and online behaviour change are necessary to reduce these risks and achieve greater cyber security for women and enable equitable and sustainable development.

If women from diverse backgrounds are not involved in the design, development, use and oversight of cyber and critical tech on an equitable basis with men, it is unlikely that products, services, and digital solutions can meet diverse needs and priorities or safeguard the population. Marginalised groups will continue to lag in their access and engagement, which risks further excluding them from economic, social, and cultural life.

The CCTCP will continue to work with partners and networks in the region to progress gender equality, disability and social inclusion in cyber and critical tech through targeted investments, advice and support.

Fifth India-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue

marta.paddubskaya@cre8ive.com.au — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:32:48 +0000

Fifth India-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue marta.paddubsk… Fri, 2022-11-18 11:32

1. India and Australia convened their fifth Bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue on 17 November 2022 in New Delhi. The dialogue was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy Division) Ms. Muanpuii Saiawi from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India and Dr. Tobias Feakin, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia.

2. The Cyber Policy Dialogue was held under the auspices of the India-Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and Plan of Action 2020-2025 for a comprehensive and deeper cyber cooperation.

3. The Indian delegation consisted of senior officials from National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MEITY), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), CERT-In and National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC). The Australian delegation comprised of senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Industry Science and Resources, and the Australian Federal Police.

4. The Cyber Policy Dialogue provides a bilateral platform to discuss a range of high-profile issues of mutual interest. Discussions at this Dialogue included strategic priorities, cyber threat assessment, next generation telecommunications including 5G technology, capacity technology capacity building and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and the latest developments in cyber at the United Nations. Australia and India agreed to explore opportunities for further collaboration with the private sector and academia, including through the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership. Australia and India will jointly conduct a Cyber Bootcamp, as well as Cyber and Tech Policy Exchanges, in collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners.

The sixth India-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue will be held in 2023.

Quantum Meta-Ethics – The University of Sydney and Observer Research Foundation (ORF) explore the hard questions posed by emerging quantum technologies

marta.paddubskaya@cre8ive.com.au — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:59:59 +0000

Quantum Meta-Ethics – The University of Sydney and Observer Research Foundation (ORF) explore the hard questions posed by emerging quantum technologies marta.paddubsk… Fri, 2022-07-01 09:59

Quantum Meta-Ethics (QM-E) is the latest initiative of Project Q, an interdisciplinary investigation funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York that looks into the societal and geopolitical implications of quantum innovation. With support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership, the University of Sydney and the New Delhi based Observer Research Foundation (ORF) are working together to put these findings into practice by developing ethical frameworks for emerging quantum technologies.

The first QM-E workshop, hosted by the Centre for International Security Studies (CISS) at the University of Sydney, was openly speculative, exploring three meta-ethical questions first raised at the sixth annual Q Symposium. First, what lessons were learnt from previous efforts to apply ethical standards to critical technologies? Second, what constitutes ethical behaviour, best practices and responsible innovation in quantum technology? Third, how best to produce ethical accords consistent with international law, human rights and climate justice that are also actionable across multiple sectors of quantum innovation?

The findings of the Sydney and New Delhi workshops will provide the framework for an international Project Q/QM-E symposium in early 2023.

The first workshop video can be found here

Australia and PNG sign a new Cyber Cooperation agreement

David.Byrne2 — Thu, 05 May 2022 01:01:30 +0000

Australia and PNG sign a new Cyber Cooperation agreement David.Byrne2 Thu, 2022-05-05 11:01

On 30 March 2022, Dr. Tobias Feakin, Australian Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, and Mr Steven Matainaho, Secretary of Papua New Guinea's Department of ICT (DICT), signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cyber Cooperation between Australia and PNG.

The new agreement builds on a previous cyber security cooperation MoU between PNG and Australia signed in 2018, reinforcing the partnership's focus on enhancing PNG's cyber capacity and working together on cyber affairs. The new MoU paves the way for deepened cooperation to continue building cyber resilience and more broadly supporting a safe, secure, and prosperous PNG, Australia, and Indo-Pacific region.

The signing of the MoU was complemented by a study tour to Australia by representatives from Papua New Guinea's DICT, National ICT Authority (NICTA) and National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). While in Australia, delegates met with several Government departments, including the Digital Transformation Agency, Attorney-General's Department, Department of Finance, Department of Home Affairs, Services Australia, Australian Cyber Security Centre, and the eSafety Commission. Additionally, some delegates met with academic institutions such as the Australian National University (ANU) National Security College and Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).

Dr Tobias Feakin and Mr Steven Matainaho sign the MOU Cyber Cooperation agreement

Australia and PNG sign a new Cyber Cooperation agreement

Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Government of Australia on Cyber Cooperation

The Government of Papua New Guinea, and the Government of Australia, (hereinafter referred to collectively as "the Participants" and singularly as "the Participant");

Recognising the depth and strength of the economic and strategic relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea, as outlined under the Comprehensive Strategic and Economic Partnership;

Sharing the vision to enhance our bilateral partnership on cyber affairs, at a time when both countries face significant challenges and opportunities in the international cyber environment;

Desiring to promote an open, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful cyberspace, which drives economic prosperity, protects national security and promotes international stability;

Reaffirming their commitment to promote peace and security in cyberspace based on existing international law, voluntary and non-binding norms of responsible state behaviour, practical confidence building measures, and cooperative capacity building;

Recognising as a result of increasing interconnectivity in the region, information systems and networks are now exposed to a growing number of threats from malicious (government and non-government) cyber actors and vulnerabilities which impact on both prosperity and national security;

Recalling and reaffirming the strong cyber security cooperation that has occurred, most recently, through the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber Cooperation between Papua New Guinea and Australia; and

Pursuant to the relevant laws and regulations and international commitments of the Participants;

Have reached the following understandings:

Paragraph 1: Purpose

The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter referred to as "MoU") is to promote partnerships and provide a framework of cooperation on cyber affairs and digital economy between the Participants.

Paragraph 2: Guiding Principle

The Participants are committed to developing an enhanced economic and security partnership that supports the development objectives of the Government of Papua New Guinea.

Paragraph 3: Areas of Cooperation

Guided by the development objectives of the Government of Papua New Guinea, the Participants have identified the following areas of cooperation for this MoU:

Coordination and Information Sharing
1. Participants will share views, experiences, lessons learned and best practices on cyber affairs and the digital economy.
2. Participants will coordinate and consult on cyber-related areas of mutual interest and benefit.
Capacity Building and Strengthening Connection
1. Participants will support improved development and understanding of cyber issues across society, including a focus on the needs of women and girls.
2. Participants will support people-to-people connections with a focus on cyber workforce upskilling.
Capability and Process Development
1. Participants will support the development and implementation of systemic governance arrangements related to cyberspace.
2. Participants will work together on future cyber-related infrastructure needs and technology.

Paragraph 4: Implementing Arrangements

Institutions of the Participants may arrange between themselves the establishment of implementing arrangements, or other mutually determined written arrangements, under this MoU to operationalise cooperation activities.

The arrangements mutually determined upon by the institutions of the Participants will serve to implement the areas of cooperation.

The establishment, finalisation, and implementation of the arrangements under this MoU will be coordinated and by consent of the respective focal points as stipulated in Paragraph 5 of this MoU.

Paragraph 5: Focal Points

The Participants have identified the following focal points as the lead agencies for the purpose of the implementation of this MoU:

1. For Papua New Guinea: Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT)
2. For Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

Cooperation will not be limited to these organisations and will be encouraged by all government organisations of the Participants.

Paragraph 6: Entry into Effect, Duration and Termination

This MoU will come into effect on the date of signature by both Participants and will remain in effect for a period of five (5) years, unless terminated by either Participant giving at least one (1) month's written notice prior to the intended date of termination to the other Participant.

Termination of this MoU will not affect the implementation of activities that were decided upon or any on-going activity prior to the date of termination.

This MoU may be extended at any time within the period it remains in effect by the mutual written consent of the Participants. The Participants will convene one (1) year prior to the agreement’s expiration to determine an extension.

Paragraph 7: Amendment

The Participants may propose an amendment to this MoU by submitting it in writing to the other Participant.

An amendment will be effected only upon the mutual written consent of the Participants.

Paragraph 8: Financial Arrangements

The Participants will bear their own costs associated with the activities and participation under this MoU.

Other financial arrangements may be carried out as mutually determined by the Participants.

Paragraph 9: Settlement of Disputes

Any dispute arising out of the interpretation and implementation of this MoU will be settled amicably by the Participants through mutual consultations and negotiations between the Participants.

Disputes will not be referred to any third party, court or international tribunal.

Paragraph 10: Confidentiality

The Participants commit to protect the confidentiality of information, technology, and/or data exchanged between the Participants under this MoU against unauthorized disclosure in accordance with the Participants domestic laws, regulations, policies, and directives. This does not apply where the information is legally accessible to the public.

Information, technology, and/or data exchanged under this MoU shall not be transmitted to a third party without prior written consent of the other Participants.

In the event of the expiration or termination of this MoU, provisions under this Paragraph shall still apply in terms of the confidentiality of this MoU.

Paragraph 11: Legal status of the MoU

This MoU does not create any legally binding obligations, and does not alter or effect any existing agreements between the Participants.

The Participants acknowledge that this MoU is not an international agreement and will not create legal obligations governed by their respective domestic law or international law.

The terms of this MOU operate subject to, and do not supersede respective international obligations and domestic laws, policies and procedures of the participants.

International Girls in ICT Day: GO! Vanuatu

David.Byrne2 — Mon, 02 May 2022 02:05:35 +0000

International Girls in ICT Day: GO! Vanuatu David.Byrne2 Mon, 2022-05-02 12:05

Source: ABC International Development

The Girls Online (GO!) Project strives to empower young women in Vanuatu and Tonga to engage safely and meaningfully online. It is led by ABC International Development in partnership with Portable Design Studio (Australia), CARE in Vanuatu, Sista (Vanuatu), and Tutu on the Beach (Tonga) and supported by DFAT’s Cyber and Critical Tech Cooperation Program. The GO! team is committed to amplifying young women’s voices and elevating their presence in the digital landscape. To fulfil this commitment, the project acknowledges young women as experts in their own experience and supports them to design and produce digital media solutions to address cybersafety issues they have identified.

Sista and CARE in Vanuatu representatives celebrate the launch of materials with GO! participants. Image: CARE in Vanuatu

This year's International Girls in ICT Day 2022 was held on April 28, and a group of young women in Vanuatu, who have become role models in their commitment to cybersafety, demonstrated this year's theme, Safety and Access.

As part of ABC International Development’s GO! project the women came together to produce media that shines a spotlight on cyber safety, to demonstrate that cyber threats are a common issue for young people in Vanuatu and that there are ways to resolve these situations.

The women focussed on image-based abuse, cyberbullying and a lack of online protection and have brought together community organisations and government services to promote safety and access. Through a process of co-design, the young women in Vanuatu identified threats and barriers to their digital safety and access and developed the solutions that they wanted but were not available. With the support of the ABC and GO! in-country partners, CARE in Vanuatu and Sista, the young women were able to bring their ideas to life.

Young women in Vanuatu designing solutions to cybersafety issues during a GO! workshop. Image: CARE in Vanuatu

They drove the design of a cybersafety booklet and wrote scripts for three videos, which they then helped to produce, with the help of another non-government organisation Wan Smol Bag. Each video tackled an issue they had identified for community discussion (image-based abuse, cyberbullying, and lack of online protection).

Watch the cyberbullying video ‘No spoelem naraman onlaen’ below and check out the full playlist here!

No spoelem naraman onlaen

No spoelem naraman onlaen - Girls Online! Cyber safety in Vanuatu CYBERBULLYING

The videos reached over 200,000 people through the Sista Facebook page alone. The videos are being shared online (Facebook and YouTube) and all feature role models to help guide and empower young women to try to safely resolve what can be distressing situations.

"Now we can use this knowledge of Girls Online cybersafety to share with our families and people in our communities." - CARE Project Manager

The GO! materials were launched earlier this year with stakeholders including the Vanuatu Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Health's Mind Care Clinic and representatives from CARE, Sista, and Wan Smolbag.

Official launch of the GO! cybersafety materials. Image: CARE in Vanuatu

On viewing the materials for the first time, a Ministry of Education and Training representative stated:

“The Girls Online cybersafety resources are really an excellent tool for the advocacy and awareness on cybersafety. Online bullying is observed to be a growing issue among secondary school students in Vanuatu and in particular girls and boys who are both victims and perpetrators of such activity. Thus, awareness and advocacy in the junior and senior schools is vital as it will inform students to be ethical when they are online.”

The Vanuatu Police Force has also endorsed the project and has distributed the video on image-based abuse though its social media.

The Girls Online (GO!) project is supported by the Cyber and Critical Tech Cooperation Program of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Women in Cyber Fellowship come together for the UN Open Ended Working Group (OEWG)

David.Byrne2 — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 00:07:46 +0000

Women in Cyber Fellowship come together for the UN Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) David.Byrne2 Thu, 2022-04-28 10:07

OEWG Women in Cyber Fellowship

Australia, together with Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, launched the Women in International Security and Cyberspace Fellowship in February 2020. The Fellowship provides early to mid-career female diplomats from with training on multilateral negotiations, cyber policy and international law and sponsors travel to New York to join their national delegations to UN meetings that consider responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, including at the UN Open Ended Working Group on the use of ICTs in the context of International Security (OEWG). Australia supports Fellows from Southeast Asia and Pacific Island countries, including Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Niue, and Tokelau.

As noted by Under Secretary-General Nakamitsu, when opening the Women in International Security and Cyberspace Fellowship in February 2020, peace deals stick better and last longer when women are included at the table. The Fellowship promotes greater diversity and inclusiveness – both from a gender and a geography perspective – in cyberspace and critical technology discussions and decisions with global implications.

From 28 March to 1 April 2022, the Women in International Security and Cyberspace Fellowship came together for the second session of the UN Open Ended Working Group on Cyber (OEWG). Fellows joined their national delegations to participate in formal sessions of the OEWG, and participated in side events and mentoring, including discussions on international law and disarmament.

As recognised by the Women, Peace and Security agenda, women are differently and uniquely affected by conflict and threats to international peace and security. They also bring unique perspectives and contributions to conflict resolution and peacebuilding. ‘Still Behind the Curve’, a report by United Nations Institute for Disarmament Affairs (UNIDIR) on gender balance in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament diplomacy, found that the UN First Committee (under which the OEWG is convened) has the lowest proportion of female diplomats of any of the UN General Assembly’s Main Committees. In peace and security debates, 27% of speakers are women; this drops to an average of 20% in forums on more specialised topics such as peace and security in cyberspace. This highlights the need to ensure woman are empowered to participate in the OEWG and in future discussions on responsible state behaviour in cyberspace at the UN.

Over the week’s discussions, over 43% of interventions to the OEWG’s second session were made by women speakers Gender parity was achieved with 50% of international law statements made by women.

Women in Cyber (WIC) Fellows & Youth Disarmament Fellows

Women in Cyber (WIC) Fellows & Youth Disarmament Fellows

Australia and the OEWG Secretariat organised a mentoring event bringing together the the Women in Cyber Fellows with the UN Youth Disarmament Fellows. This insightful conversation between WIC experts and Disarmament Youth Fellows discussed responsible innovation and the ethics of technology that should reflect intersectionality in all forms of development.

OEWG Chair Meeting

OEWG Chair Meeting

On the final day of the OEWG second session, the Fellows met with the OEWG Chair, Ambassador Gafoor, to discuss regional engagement, cyber capacity building issues and suggestions, and how the OEWG can address issues of importance to developing countries, small island states and landlocked states.

WIC Fellows Mentoring Breakfast

The Australian hosted WIC Fellows Mentoring Breakfast allowed fellows to discuss career paths, opportunities, and experiences, with senior diplomats and professionals, including Michele Markoff (US), Maartje Peters (ND), and Kerry-Ann Barrett (OAS).

WIC workshop – Roundtable with international law experts (AUS hosted at Mission)

Australia hosted a roundtable discussion that brought together Fellows and international legal experts to discuss pressing issues on how international law applies in cyberspace, and the process and benefits of developing national positions and statements on how international law applies in cyberspace.

Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership Grants

marta.paddubskaya@cre8ive.com.au — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 03:00:34 +0000

Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership Grants marta.paddubsk… Fri, 2022-04-22 13:00

The Australian Government congratulates the five grant recipients funded under the second round of the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership (AICCTP) program.

The AICCTP is a $12.7 million initiative that contributes to the Australian Government priorities to promote a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

The program promotes Australian and Indian Organisations working together to contribute to the global development of ethical standards around critical and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), next generation telecommunications (5G/6G), Internet of Things (IoT), quantum computing, synthetic biology, blockchain and big data.

The successful applicants are:

The Tech Policy Design Centre and College of Law at the Australian National University (ANU) with the Centre for Communication Governance (CCG) at the National Law University Delhi (NLUD) for their project: Shaping blockchain technical standards consistent with Australia and India’s shared vision of an open, free, rules-based Indo-Pacific.
The Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) of India together with the Australian Risk Policy Institute (ARPI) for the project: Ethical 6G - Identifying Elements of Ethical Framework for 6G and Creating Opportunities for India and Australia.
Victoria University with the Gujarat National Law University for the project: Cross Border Data Flows Between Australia and India - understanding the legal, policy and ethical standards for data, cyber security, AI, quantum and new technologies.
InQ Innovation with WE Hub Telangana for the project: Australia India Bi-Lateral Cyber and Critical Technologies Market Access and Business Pathways Program for Women Led Technology Businesses in Australia and India.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) partnered with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) for the project: A techdiplomacy and negotiation guide on technical standards for Artificial Intelligence in the Indo-Pacific.

The AICCTP Grant Round 3 is expected to be advertised in September 2022. More information on the AICCTP and Australia-India Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation can be found here.

Australia and Denmark lead new global tech network

David.Byrne2 — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 09:40:10 +0000

Australia and Denmark lead new global tech network David.Byrne2 Tue, 2022-03-29 20:40

On 24 March 2022, Denmark and Australia launch a global network of cyber and tech ambassadors to ensure a responsible, democratic and secure technological future in cooperation with the tech industry.

Digital technologies are shaping the future of humanity. The pace of current technological change outstrips any in our history. Advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and high speed communications are transforming how we live, work, govern, and interact.

These technologies also expose us to new risks, particularly when they are used by authoritarian states to repress, to silence, and to disrupt the international rules-based order. We condemn Russia’s ongoing campaign of malicious cyber activity and disinformation in Ukraine and reiterate the importance of the international community upholding the rules-based order online, just as we do offline.

To ensure that technological development enables prosperity, security, democracy and human rights, Denmark and Australia now launches a global network of cyber and tech ambassadors from more than 20 countries.

The network recognises that success rests on partnership and collaboration between governments and the technology companies that design, develop and deploy the next generation of digital technologies.

The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne says:

“Addressing the challenges and opportunities of cyberspace and critical technologies requires trusted partnerships between countries and with industry. This global network of cyber and tech ambassadors shares the goal that technology be used to uphold and protect liberal democratic values to benefit our societies, economies and national security. We cannot allow these technologies to be co-opted by authoritarian states and undermine the international rules-based order.”

The Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod says:

“New technologies can be great tools for human progress. However, they also bring serious risks that we have to address. Cyberattacks, internet shutdowns and the spread of disinformation threatens our prosperity, freedom and security. In this global network of cyber and tech ambassadors, democratic governments come together to build our digital future on the values we believe in. Through cooperation with the tech industry, we will contain the autocratic forces that abuse technology and ensure that all of humankind reaps its benefits.”