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.
- South Korean intelligence lands in hot water after allegations overseas North Korean agents were targeted through popular chat app Kakao Talk.
- How politically-focused Facebook groups are helping Uzbeks get around the country’s notoriously harsh internet restrictions. (h/t Brendan.)
- A conversation about Indonesia's tech startup culture and how to decentralise the sector.
- Inspired by US reality star Kim Kardashian's hugely popular app, Filipino celebrities are diving into the lucrative world of mobile games.
- Social media and chat apps are reshaping health care in India, with doctors connecting with patients using WhatsApp, Skype and Viber.
- Investments are surging in Myanmar's telecoms sector; there are now 18 million SIM cards in circulation, up from 1 million in 2012.
- New research looking at tsunami-prone areas in Thailand finds that villages which cultivate strong online and offline social networks are better prepared for natural disasters.
- Want a digital pet or to know exactly where your food is coming from? Chinese netizens are flocking to a new mobile app which lets users adopt, monitor and sell live sheep.
- The Asia Pacific is Twitter’s fastest growing region. And for some of Twitter's largest markets, including Japan, Indonesia and India, it’s all about mobile video.
- Are these internet sensations the future of Australian soft power in Japan? An Australian-born Gorilla nicknamed ikemen ('hot guy'), which is attracting a steady stream of female visitors in Nagoya; and Australian pro-wrestler and J-pop singer Ladybeard: