Cyber Resilience in Asia and Latin America: A Cross-Regional Dialogue on Trust, Threats, and Cooperation

The event was structured into two regional sessions and conducted under the Chatham House Rule to facilitate open and constructive exchange.

The morning session focused on Asia, with Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra (GIGA, DigiTraL Team Member) presenting a powerful analysis of cyber resilience strategies against AI-enabled digital authoritarianism and disinformation in South and Southeast Asia. She outlined how democratic actors in the region, including India and Singapore, are grappling with algorithmic manipulation, surveillance technologies, and the erosion of public trust. Dr. Mahapatra called for redefining cyber resilience considering these emerging threats and offered concrete avenues for cooperation with Germany.

Her presentation was followed by insightful responses from Prateek Waghre, a public policy researcher formerly with the Internet Freedom Foundation, and Andreas Dorner, Head of the Cyber Control Centre Asia at the German Embassy in Singapore. Both discussants emphasised the need for a holistic approach to digital governance that centres rights, transparency, and inclusion.

In the afternoon, attention shifted to Latin America. Jesus Renzullo (GIGA, DigiTraL Team Member) delivered an evidence-based overview of disinformation dynamics in Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Venezuela. His research showed how political actors and state-linked groups are deploying coordinated online propaganda while civil society attempts to counter these efforts through fact-checking and digital literacy campaigns.

Discussants Prof. Leon Hernandez (UCAB/Venezuelan Observatory of Fake News) and Lilian Georgieva-Weiche (Strategic Advisor with the Cyber Foreign Policy Staff, German Federal Foreign Office) added rich regional and policy perspectives. Hernandez highlighted shrinking media freedom and the challenges of verifying digital content in authoritarian contexts, while Georgieva-Weiche stressed the need for inclusive cybersecurity partnerships that amplify underrepresented voices.

Throughout the day, one key theme stood out: TRUST. Participants repeatedly returned to the question of how to build and protect trust in digital spaces, especially amid rising geopolitical tensions and algorithmic opacity.

Moderated by Dr. Iris Wieczorek (GIGA, Head of DigiTraL) and Dr. Jens Waibel (Policy Planning Unit, German Federal Foreign Office), the workshop fostered cross-regional learning and mutual understanding. Case studies, policy interventions, and shared concerns revealed opportunities for future cooperation between Germany, the EU, and partners across Asia and Latin America.

As digital threats become increasingly transnational, forums like this workshop serve as vital spaces to exchange strategies, anticipate risks, and co-create a more secure and rights-based digital future.