Singapore―SICW 2024―Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean said Monday that the benefits of the digital world, such as societal progress and innovation, can only be achieved when digital technology is fundamentally trusted by the public.
The senior minister made the statement to an audience at Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), the Asia-Pacific region’s most established cybersecurity conference. This year’s event, held under the theme “Trust and Security in the Digital Era,” focused on discussions and partnerships in cybersecurity.
“Last year, I spoke about how trust in the digital domain is under considerable pressure. Unfortunately, this remains so, perhaps even more so,” Teo said, citing grim figures of cyberattacks. According to blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, ransomware payments exceeded $1 billion in 2023, a record high. Additionally, the Global Anti-Scam Alliance found that just over a quarter of the nearly 50,000 people surveyed from 43 countries had lost money to scams or identity theft over a 12-month period.
Disinformation is another factor worsening the situation. A study commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in September last year found that 85% of those surveyed were concerned about the impact of disinformation in their countries, while 87% believed it had already affected their country’s politics. “This is especially troubling in a year where half the world’s population is holding or has held elections,” the official said.
The senior minister emphasized that strengthening public trust in digital products and services is crucial for societal progress.
“How many of you become suspicious when you receive a phone call and don’t pick up? In a way, we are regressing. Instead of realizing the promise and potential of a digital world, we’ll get disinformation and deception, leading to division and danger. Conversely, if we get this right and provide the assurance and trust users need, we can confidently harness new and emerging digital technologies to improve lives and livelihoods around the world,” he said.
The senior minister outlined three strategies to strengthen trust in the digital domain. First, nations must promote international and multi-stakeholder cooperation. Second, they must go beyond cybersecurity to enhance digital resilience. Third, they must establish solid foundations for emerging technologies.
“Cyberspace is borderless. It was designed that way. Its utility and power come from being borderless. This means international cooperation will be essential to resolving many of the common issues we face in the digital domain,” the official said. “While some degree of competition between states is inevitable, we must not let it crowd out cooperation. This is why we continue to organize SICW year after year—to promote cooperation by bringing people together in the same room, so we can at least understand each other, even if we don’t always agree.”
The senior minister also urged society to consider how to build resilience into the foundation of the digital ecosystem. “We can no longer afford to treat cyber resilience as an add-on at the end,” he warned. He emphasized the need to assess the impact of digital system failures on critical infrastructure, including power supplies, airports, and health systems, as well as the interaction and inter-system effects.
The official emphasized the importance of the recent joint statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables in a Globally Digitalized World as a crucial step toward the future. The statement, which outlines principles to ensure the security, reliability, and resilience of undersea cables, was endorsed at the annual United Nations General Assembly by a coalition of countries, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The official’s final proposal focused on establishing strong foundations for emerging technologies.
“When the internet first emerged, there was a belief that easy access to information would lead to a flourishing of ideas, and that the best ideas would be recognized by everyone. But the internet is no longer seen as an unmitigated good. It is now widely recognized as a source of disinformation, division, and danger. Countries have come to realize the need not only to protect digital systems, but also to safeguard their societies from the misuse of these systems. Many have belatedly introduced laws and regulations to address this, but the damage is already being done, and they are simply playing catch up. We must avoid repeating these mistakes with new technologies now emerging.”
