The e-government initiative - known as e-ASEAN - is spearheaded by the e-ASEAN Task Force, a committee launched in 1999 by the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) governments to oversee the creation of a unified approach to information management, infrastructure development, information-security and cyber law in ASEAN. A coherent strategy for ICT developed by the e-ASEAN Task Force (e-ATF) will be adopted by ASEAN in an effort to ensure that its respective governments and constituents abide by ratified policies that govern info-security and prevention of cybercrime, privacy and consumer protection, and the protection of intellectual property.
e-Cop.net addresses e-ASEAN Executive Seminar on e-Government
Eddie Chau, e-Cop.net's President and CEO, addressed ASEAN delegates on 18 November 2002 on the current information security environment, highlighting the ongoing proliferation of hacking incidents in the region. Chau encouraged the e-ATF to take proactive and far-reaching measures by designing a comprehensive and sustainable info-security programme for the region based on the adoption of universally recognised best practices for info-security. Chau also underscored the need for a pragmatic and deliberate approach to the development of a regional e-security programme that will suit the needs of all member countries.
"A comprehensive and definitive info-security infrastructure, developed around tried and proven industry standards and services, will ensure that ASEAN's e-government initiatives meet the core e-commerce competencies of confidentiality, integrity and availability," noted Chau. "Doing so will build trust in the programme and between ASEAN e-government communities as they work together to thwart cyber crime in Southeast Asia."
Pointing to codes of best practice, such as those set out in ISO 17799/BS 7799, Chau advised that it is only a matter of time before all government agencies are required to subscribe to a standard certification platform to ensure that all e-commerce transactions are suitably secured. This e-governance platform, which Chau believes should be built around a formal Information Security Management System (ISMS), will define scope, prioritise requirements and assign responsibility to the many facets of e-government info-security.
e-Cop.net receives e-ASEAN Pilot Project
Accreditation Chau's presentation followed on the heels of the company's endorsement by the e-ASEAN Task Force committee that met in Bangkok on 19 October 2002 for its pilot project titled, "e-ASEAN National e-Security Defence Strategy." The project aims to facilitate:
- the development of a knowledge-based society among ASEAN communities through the provision of a holistic approach to information security, encouraging Internet-related activities and e-commerce transactions in the region,
- the adoption of a proven and robust technology and service platform, nurturing intra-ASEAN initiatives and activities, and
- the adoption of best practices in the field of info-security management through e-Cop.net's BS 7799 certified processes and ISMS.
"Info-security governance is the key to transborder protection," Chau told delegates. "Without a common platform of understanding, agreement and law in ASEAN, cyber criminals will simply set up shop in countries with lax attitudes and penalties. As a growing ICT hub, ASEAN can no longer afford to approach e-security on an ad hoc basis."
Given the accreditation as an endorsed pilot e-ATF project, e-Cop will receive the full support from ASEAN member countries and inclusion in missions to ASEAN dialogue partner countries. To learn more about the e-ASEAN initiative and the e-ASEAN Task Force, visit www.e-aseantf.org . For more information on e-government topics, issues and Mr Chau's presentation slides from the Executive Seminar, visit the e-ASEAN Task Force and partners' online resource centre, Developing e-Government in the Asia Pacific, at www.egovaspac.org.
Quelle: Help Net Security