24 Feb 2022
The election for the future of the internet
A battle for authoritarian control of the internet is underway at the most important UN body you’ve never heard of.
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14 Feb 2022
Military operations in a more transparent world
Russia’s Ukraine build-up is the latest example of how some information can no longer be kept secret. -
27 Jan 2022
Power plays: the growing competition to fuel energy transitions
Serbia’s decision to cancel a lithium mine in the face of environmental outcry underscores a modern economic challenge. -
11 Jan 2022
Kip-to-currency?
One of Asia’s tiny communist nations is looking at blockchain to fuel an economic boom. -
17 Dec 2021
China, Australia, and the Internet of Things
Australia must learn to manage, rather than avoid, the dilemmas of a global reliance on Chinese digital networks. -
23 Nov 2021
Regulating unmanned underwater vehicles in Indonesian waters
Deep sea drones are revolutionising marine science. But the military potential makes transparency essential. -
4 Nov 2021
Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, sanctions, and Telstra Pacific
From ports to productivity, the pandemic has only exposed longstanding economic resilience issues in Australia. -
4 Nov 2021
Regulate against the machine
AI is becoming a routine aspect of daily life, but can the law – and informed social policy – truly keep pace? -
22 Sep 2021
Digital authoritarianism not just a China problem
Surveillance technologies are increasingly used to track and trace. New global regulations are needed, for all players. -
20 Sep 2021
The law when putting autonomous military platforms on a shopping list
The fear of rogue killer robots looms large but legal questions go well beyond the pointy end. -
15 Sep 2021
Semiconductors: the skills shortage
Even in a digital age, people – engineers – are essential to manufacturing. But demand is by far outstripping supply. -
13 Sep 2021
Risks versus opportunities in national security thinking
Conventional security logic is undergoing a revolution that includes renewable energy. Australia needs to get on board. -
27 Jul 2021
The connectivity trade-off from social media misinformation
Countries of the Global South hold the greatest potential for new internet users. But also the spectre of violence. -
9 Jul 2021
China’s forced invisibility of LGBTQ communities on social media
A safe place for young people in China to discuss their sexual and gender identities has suddenly been silenced. -
8 Jul 2021
Staying ahead in global tech leadership
As US-China rivalry creates the prospect of competing technology ecosystems, practical measures will maintain an edge. -
29 Jun 2021
Hsinchu: Taiwan’s city at the centre of China’s conundrum
Semiconductors are the drivers of the digital economy. The US needs them. So does China. And Taiwan makes the most. -
7 Jun 2021
The authoritarian threat of Indonesia’s latest internet bill
Pending legislation would require online service providers to remove or block content by government demand. -
1 Jun 2021
Gab’s gift to the far right
Social media giants may be trying to squelch hate speech and conspiracy mongering, but alt-tech offers them safe space. -
31 May 2021
Is Southeast Asia ready for a US-China tech decoupling?
Some regional countries have sought to diversify. But this doesn’t necessarily mean choosing sides. -
27 May 2021
Can violent extremist content online be eliminated?
The Christchurch Call is an opportunity for change — but there is much more to be done. -
20 May 2021
Violent extremism: The ghost or the machine?
A parliamentary inquiry into violent extremism should call on tech companies to reveal their recommendation algorithms. -
13 May 2021
Indonesia responds to the cyber dark side
Australia will also benefit from practical bilateral cooperation to enhance Indonesia’s cyber security. -
6 May 2021
Economic diplomacy: Patent politics and trade deal twists
President Biden moves to suspend vaccine patents, RCEP ramps up, IA-CEPA gets a lesson and US dollar reserves tank. -
30 Apr 2021
Taiwan: Renewing a southbound vision
Increasing economic ties with Southeast Asia has been a success for Tsai Ing-wen. She should look beyond to India, too. -
29 Apr 2021
China’s leap into space
The newly launched space station has no crew as yet, but the invite list makes for plenty of speculation. -
22 Apr 2021
Economic diplomacy: Supply chains, ASEAN wanes, and Japan’s coal dump
Will government have to pick a winner for 6G networks to show the US and Japan as “global leaders in innovation”? -
21 Apr 2021
China’s Twitter trolls make bid for vacant Trump property
“Own the libs” obnoxiousness failed, but China’s social media diplomats haven’t all got the memo. -
19 Apr 2021
No surprise: Spying from space is a good thing
With countries all watching each other, there is less chance anyone is caught off guard – a deterrent to aggression. -
7 Apr 2021
In Singapore, Covid vs privacy is no contest
The pandemic has shown how easily most people accept surveillance, and the government’s enthusiasm for new forms of it. -
26 Mar 2021
Facebook’s monopoly danger in the Pacific
The social media giant’s move to “unfriend” Australia highlighted complex threats to information security in the region. -
24 Mar 2021
The greening of Bill Gates
The Microsoft founder has produced a solid primer for understanding the climate challenge. The next step is action. -
16 Mar 2021
Unpacking vaccine passports
Proof of Covid vaccination for travel is a reasonable expectation, but is tech the only answer? -
18 Feb 2021
India’s Koo plots a digital coup
A Twitter clone is gaining ground, but where does the push to localise social media end up? -
1 Feb 2021
Filling the gaps in ASEAN and EU cybercrime cooperation
The two regional bodies are teaming up to counter cybersecurity threats, but it’s no simple task. -
21 Jan 2021
The Diego Garcia dispute hits cyberspace
As internet domains go, .io is a money spinner. Would a change to the “British Indian Ocean Territory” cancel an asset? -
19 Jan 2021
Why Twitter was right to dump Trump
A free speech attack? No, if losing access is a blow, it’s because Trump relied on social media too much for too long. -
22 Dec 2020
The modern sharing of Pacific “public goods”
A repository for regional data not only preserves the lessons of the past, but will shape a better future, too. -
21 Dec 2020
How extremist messaging co-opts emergency events
The cynical saying “never waste a good crisis” is just as true for far-right and conspiracy theorists alike. -
8 Dec 2020
China’s online meddling goes beyond the Great Firewall
Human rights movements still suffer from falsehoods and misinformation even on social media platforms banned by Beijing. -
7 Dec 2020
The case for going all-in on renewables
Energy security and economic growth have political support where climate change doesn’t. Bring them all together. -
1 Dec 2020
We’ve been trolled – expect more of it, because it worked
Here’s how Scott Morrison might have responded to China’s online provocation. -
24 Nov 2020
After Christchurch: Mapping online right-wing extremists
For all the hate, sometimes extending to talk of violence, the extremist milieu is also a highly social space. -
18 Nov 2020
Gauge-changing train is no game changer for China
The recently launched high-speed rail adaptable to different track widths is unlikely to jump the hurdles of the BRI. -
13 Nov 2020
Biden’s clean energy plan versus China’s green tech dominance
The US might be able to construct a clean-energy supply chain without relying on China, but it won’t be easy. -
15 Oct 2020
Pakistan gets on the TikTok ban wagon
For very different reasons, the South Asian country follows rival India in blocking the China-based app. -
13 Oct 2020
The many trails of Ant Group
Plans to list the company at the centre of China’s financial and payments network could spark a geopolitical firestorm. -
7 Oct 2020
The unique power of TikTok’s algorithm
Even if the question of control is resolved, this game-changing app may still pose a challenge to democratic norms. -
9 Sep 2020
Colourless green content: AI, disinformation and geopolitical risk
How will you know when a machine has written what you’re reading? -
2 Sep 2020
Who’s watching the algorithms?
Facial recognition tech has supercharged surveillance in sometimes troubling ways – and spurred surprising opponents. -
28 Aug 2020
Understanding the full spectrum of hate
Extreme violence garners most attention, but the problems arise much earlier – both online and in the real world.