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Great power rivalries and vulnerability in ASEAN digital space
Tech rivalries are often not carried out directly against each other but addressed to countries within their political landscape.
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In October, Microsoft report 47 percent of cyber espionage was directed toward government institutions. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he rivalry between global major powers, namely the United States and China, has shaken the digital space since 2018 when the Huawei vice chairwoman was arrested in Canada upon the US’ demand. Contestation that may have originally seemed far away with the borderless nature of the cyberspace issue soon enough hit home.
The pandemic has given consumers in Indonesia and the world no alternative but to rely on digital services for two main reasons: Convenience and routine. This has further proved the sustainability and longevity of this increasing trend, making citizens more and more reliant on the cyberworld and the region experience a surge in digital economic activities.
While economic growth is one of the reasons why cybersecurity should come first, the Indonesian government bears the responsibility to protect its citizens, not only physically, but also digitally.
Indonesia and its neighbors in Southeast Asia are struggling to respond to the challenges that come with the increasing use of cyberspace. Privacy and security concerns in the cyber realm remain an urgent threat that the respective governments need to address. In recent years, Indonesia, as well as other ASEAN countries, has experienced various cyber incidents. In May 2020, the consumer data of 91 million Tokopedia users were leaked, similarly Singapore’ Technologies Engineering Aerospace experienced 1.5 terabytes of sensitive data stolen and in 2021 the number of hospitals and businesses in Thailand affected by malware skyrocketed, with similar issues faced by Malaysia. These incidents have increased concerns over digital privacy and cybersecurity.
What is concerning is the capacity of Indonesia, or the lack thereof, as well as other countries in the region, to protect itself. The rivalry of the great powers has increased the technological gap between the US and China on one side, with other countries that do not have the technological capacity or the industrial complex to provide a large enough supply for national critical infrastructures, such as Indonesia and most Southeast Asian countries, on the other.
While the US-China technology rivalry pushes the two nations to advance defense systems and cyber capabilities, the tech rivalries are often not carried out directly against each other but are addressed to countries within their political landscape. This is relevant for Indonesia and Southeast Asian countries which wish to maintain their neutrality, but are heavily dependent on economic and security cooperation with the major powers.
This situation, however, has made it difficult for governments of developing countries to protect their cyberspace and critical infrastructure, not only from attacks such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), but also espionage.
