https://arab.news/gc3vs
DUBAI: Governments need to invest in digital resilience infrastructure not for today but for the future, Deputy Director General for UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority Mohammed Al-Zarooni has said.
Speaking at the World Governments Summit on Thursday, Al-Zarooni referenced how countries responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and said countries that invested in digital infrastructure were able to adapt quickly.
“The UAE had sufficient infrastructure in 2020 to accommodate its school and university students on digital platforms and continue providing them with education,” he added.
Salman Al-Khalifa, National Cyber Security Centre of Bahrain CEO, said trust in digital systems and in governance was important.
“We need to have the utmost trust in these systems, without trust we can’t use them. Ensuring that there is resilience in our systems will contribute to overall efficiency,” he said.
On Tuesday, summit chairman and UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Al-Gergawi said building strong relationships between governments and people was important. “Trust in government (worldwide) stands only at 52 percent,” he said, quoting findings from the Edelman Trust Barometer.
Al-Khalifa discussed his concerns over rapid growth in the artificial intelligence sector and said it was vital governments were prepared.
“AI helps hackers get a hold of information. AI creates an easier way for people to steal information, we need to be prepared,” he explained.
Al-Zarooni emphasized the importance of cybersecurity awareness and said those who did not know the risks would be most susceptible to cybercrime.
“These risks are borderless, they are spread out, without having digital cooperation we can’t achieve full digital resilience. Cybersecurity is not a one-country problem, but a world problem” he concluded.