Google Tackles APAC Internet Security Concerns Through Partnerships
On February 8, 2022, Google marked Safer Internet Day by reaffirming its commitment to make the internet a safer place for everyone, especially children and young people. The company has been working with partners across the region to help make this happen.
Post-pandemic, the internet has become an even more critical part of daily life. It’s now used for work, school, and play and has become a lifeline for many during the lockdowns and restrictions of the last two years.
This is particularly true in Asia-Pacific, where the pandemic has spurred a wave of new users onto the internet. From India to Indonesia, Malaysia to Mongolia, millions of people have gone online for the first time, taking the region’s internet population to more than 2.5 billion.
But as more people and businesses go online, the region has also become a prime target for cybercriminals. From phishing scams and ransomware attacks to data breaches and cyberbullying, the threats faced by internet users in Asia-Pacific are diverse and ever-evolving.
In response, Google has been working with partners across the region to help make the internet a safer place for everyone.
One such partner is the Sejiwa Foundation, which is dedicated to helping younger members of the community and their parents make safe decisions online.
The Foundation’s Tangkas Beinternet program is the Indonesian version of Be Internet Awesome, an internet safety initiative delivered by Google and our partners worldwide.
Furthermore, Google committed $5 million in grant funding to nonprofit organizations in Asia-Pacific to raise awareness about security and media literacy and promote positive online habits among underserved communities. This builds on the more than $11 million that Google.org has committed to digital responsibility initiatives over the past five years.
For example, Google-backed MAFINDO's Tular Nalar project with Maarif Institute supports teachers and youngsters in Indonesia to develop media literacy. In India, Google supported Internews, whose FactShala initiative with Data Leads is helping people evaluate online information critically.
"Our highest priority is to safeguard the Google tools people use every day. We have hundreds of engineers and other experts, many based in Asia-Pacific, working to make sure that people’s accounts are secure and Google infrastructure is defended against intruders," said Scott Beaumont, President, Google Asia Pacific.
