Spend more on cybersecurity, panel advises at HackaThailand 2023

Sharing their ideas were Finnish Ambassador Jyri Järviaho, Singapore’s minister counsellor and deputy chief of mission Harry Goh, and the US Embassy’s trade and investment officer Jonathan Kent.

The three-panel members shared concepts, ideas and examples on how digital economy is used in their countries.

The event was part of “HackaThailand 2023 #TheKickOff”, which is being hosted by the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry, the Digital Economy and Promotion Agency (depa) and their alliances in the public and private sectors.

Lauding Thailand on its rapid development and adoption of the digital economy, the three speakers, however, said the Kingdom still needs to prioritise the strengthening of its cybersecurity systems.

Kent said the government and the business sector should continue developing a proper protection system, which is initially expensive but will prove to be worthwhile in the long run.

“Ransomware, data theft, and online scams can cause enormous loss and damage,” he said. “The United States has felt that pain, and we do not want it to happen in Thailand.”

Supporting Kent’s idea, the Finnish envoy said that having a strong cybersecurity system would boost trust, especially since digital economy is the future of global trade and investment.

Järviaho also highlighted the importance of making data accessible to all parties. He said the free flow of data across state lines and borders will aid the growth of digital economy.

Goh, meanwhile, also stressed the importance of collaboration and partnership in both public and private sectors as well as between nations.

Cooperation, he said, will facilitate both domestic and international trade and investment.

He also said knowledge and cutting-edge technology can be exchanged among countries, which will help in educating, training, upskilling and reskilling of the workforce, which is essential to the digital economy.

All three agreed that holistic education would help propel Thailand towards digital competitiveness.

The discussion served as a mechanism to optimise people’s digital skills in a bid to boost Thailand’s competitiveness and standards in parity with other countries.

HackaThailand’s aim is to bring digitally-driven people together to brainstorm future-focused solutions to enhance the country’s development, said Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, depa’s president/CEO. He added that the target is to strike a balance between development and sustainability.

DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, who presided over the event, said he hoped the discussion would help people get ready for digital transformation and disruption.

HackaThailand kicks off today and runs until Monday on the 9th and 10th floors of SiamScape. Organisers expect 45,000 people to participate in the event.