Digital Policy Office holds Cybersecurity Technology Forum (with photos)

     The Digital Policy Office (DPO) held its 20th Technology Forum at the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (September 13). The forum, with the theme "Adopting Innovative Technologies to Cope with Cybersecurity Threats", was held in hybrid mode and attracted about 900 colleagues from nearly 100 government departments and public organisations.

     The Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Tony Wong, introduced at the forum the 2024 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign jointly organised by the DPO and the industry to echo the China Cybersecurity Week. The Campaign seeks to raise cybersecurity awareness among the general public and different sectors of the community, and enhance the cybersecurity of society through a series of activities such as exhibitions, technology seminars, and learning resources.

     Mr Wong said, "With cyber attacks getting more and more severe, our defence must be kept abreast of the times by introducing multidimensional and diversified technological measures. In dealing with the cyber attacks, we also need to develop from a static, passive defence to dynamic, proactive detection."

     Mr Wong expressed that the DPO has implemented a series of new measures to step up the self-monitoring role of government bureaux and departments (B/Ds) as well as public bodies under B/Ds' purview in information technology (IT) system development, service delivery and safeguarding of information security. The DPO will also actively increase independent cyber security tests for large-scale and high-risk IT projects, as well as carry out regular vulnerability inspections, penetration tests, surprise checks, in-depth compliance audits, and enhance cybersecurity awareness and technology know-how of Government personnel. Such measures aim at more effectively protecting information systems and data security to provide a sturdy basis for expediting the development of a digital government.  

     At the forum, a number of technology enterprises were invited to share information and exchange ideas about their technologies, offering an opportunity for government departments and public organisations to learn more about the latest trends of cybersecurity and related technology products and solutions, as well as ways to consolidate a defence against cyber threats by effectively adopting innovative technologies.

     The Technology Forum held today was organised by the Smart Government Innovation Lab (Smart Lab) under the DPO in collaboration with the HKPC, Hong Kong Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Since its establishment in 2019, the Smart Lab has been actively connecting government departments with the innovation and technology sector, particularly local start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises, to foster a close partnership between the two sides. The Smart Lab regularly organises different promotional activities, including technology forums and technology exchange workshops for government departments and the industry, with a view to encouraging and helping government departments to introduce and apply innovative technology products and solutions, which could in turn facilitate more business matching, achieving a win-win situation.

     The technology forums have so far attracted over 8 000 participants from nearly 700 public and private organisations, enterprises and government departments. For more details, please visit the thematic website of the Smart Lab (www.smartlab.gov.hk/en/).