As COVID-19 drives more people online for work, entertainment, and connecting with friends and family, digital and data security issues are increasingly important across the United States and around the world. However, citizen-focused digital and data security discussions are still in early stages in some countries, especially in Southeast Asia.

In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we want to highlight USAID’s cyber awareness activities under the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership (DCCP), a whole-of-government initiative launched in July 2018 by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, that are working to build cybersecurity capacity among our partners and to address shared threats through engagement with the private sector, government, and civil society.

“We do this because we recognize the tremendous economic and social benefits that come with an open, secure, and reliable internet.”
— Michael Pompeo, Secretary of State

Through DCCP, USAID is implementing activities across 17 countries in Asia and Africa to promote an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet and to make citizens and small businesses more digital savvy and safe from cyber threats. One of the DCCP activities, the Digital Asia Accelerator (DAA), focuses specifically on digital literacy and cybersecurity in Cambodia, Indonesia. Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Thailand.