The Asia Pacific is the most dynamic digital landscape in the world, home to the fastest adopters of new technologies and the largest concentration of mobile and social media users. An escalation in online activism, changing cyber dynamics, developments in digital diplomacy and the exploitation of big data are shaping the region's engagement with the world.
- Google's path to world domination goes straight through Indonesia.
- Hong Kong is witnessing an online platform shift in political discourse which is shaping the city's Legislative Council Elections.
- Tencent, Asia's largest internet company, intends to use its new US$600 million headquarters in Shenzhen as 'massive testing field for the next generation of smartphones and technology'.
- Bangladeshi authorities are blocking news websites and conducting internet shutdown drills in case of 'emergency'.
- Taiwan's new Digital Minister is 35-year transgender civic hacker Audrey Tang. She is taking questions about her new role here.
- The Citizen Lab research that led to last month's urgent iPhone security update (the iOS 9.3.5 patch) from Apple found fake Pokemon domain names were used to lure targets with the aim of infecting user's iPhones with highly sophisticated commercial spyware.
- There has been a sharp spike in Chinese cyber attacks on Russian defence, aviation and nuclear assets (h/t APSI cyber wrap).
- How many real internet users are there in India?
- Beijing has clamped down further on news sites, with the country's Cyberspace Administration using a meeting of 60 media, tech and academic representatives to list several new demands including avoiding publishing to 'attract eyeballs' and shifting round the clock monitoring responsibilities to editors-in-chief.
- Facebook has cemented itself as the key platform shaping Myanmar's new political playing field, but it's also brought with it a host of problems. (h/t Nich)
- Chinese internet firms are being forced to choose between their home market and everywhere else. Those operating only in China are still changing your internet: