DIRECTOR GENERAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SPEECH MS TUPOU BARAVILALA AT THE 25TH ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S CONFERENCE

The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Climate Change, Environment, Civil Service, Information, Public Enterprises and Veteran Affairs, Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka,
 Attorney-General, Honourable Siromi Turaga,
Hon. Acting Chief Justice, Salesi Temo,
Members of the Judiciary
Solicitor-General, Ropate Green,
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.

Firstly, I would like to convey the sincere apologies of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Communications, who was unable to attend this session due to prior commitments.

It is indeed an honour to be here and speak on this important topic – “Lawyers as Digital Guardians - Protecting Individuals in the Modern Age” and to share a number of efforts being undertaken at the National level.

The Government is resolutely advancing towards the enhancement of meaningful connectivity and investment in modern and resilient ICT infrastructure. We see our communities are highly becoming dependent on this, with rapid adoption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore, we must ensure that we continue to have an accessible, secure and enabling ICT environment.

I’d like to first set the scene regarding our cyber/ICT landscape. Today, Fiji has 95 percent connectivity through 3G, 4G and 4G+ networks and has 100 percent digital television coverage through terrestrial and satellite means. As a matter of priority, we are working on progressively connecting our 5 percent digital divide.

International submarine fibre cables are the backbone of global connectivity and Fiji is connected through the Southern Cross Cable Network and we have completed the Southern Cross NEXT. The value of this new addition is it has additional bandwidth available to meet the increasing demand. We also have the submarine fibre cable connection between Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. To enhance our resilience, the Government has partnered with Google for a ‘tabua’ cable which will connect Fiji to Australia and the United States. There are additional submarine cables within the region as part of this initiative. This partnership will also result in the building of a second cable landing station and a Tier 3 Data Centre.

New and emerging technology like 5G is being trialled by our service providers and we now have low earth orbit satellites or LEOs – such as Starlink – who will be able to provide direct service to customers. All of these efforts have increased meaningful connectivity, decreased latency/delays, increased affordability, enhanced opportunities for digital payments like e-wallets, e-commerce and digital trade and have effectively brought Government services closely to our people through various digitalisation efforts.

With regards to data affordability, Fiji is ranked the 3rd most affordable country globally (following Israel and Italy) and the most affordable country in the region, when it comes to mobile data pricing. It costs, on average, approximately US$0.09/FJ$0.20 for 1 GB of data in Fiji. Within the region, Tokelau is the most expensive with US$17.24/FJ$38.80 for 1 GB of data. Globally, the country with the most expensive data price for 1GB is Zimbabwe, where it costs US $43.75. That converts to an astounding FJ$97.74 for 1 GB of data compared to Fiji’s 20 cents for 1 GB.

Technology in itself is neither good nor bad. Rather, it is the way that technology is used. We have seen how digital technologies have the potential to respond to a range of areas such as climate change, bridging the digital divide, achieving the SDGs, and revolutionising the way we live and work. In order for us to fully utilise the benefits of digital technologies, we must work together, accelerating transformation for the benefit of everyone while mitigating the risks.
 
One such risk that Fiji is battling with – like other countries– are these online scams such as Gifting Pyramid Schemes, eBay Shop, Bitcoin crypto currency and impersonations to obtain financial advantage. And, I understand that CEO Consumer Council Ms Shandil will be elaborating on these in her presentation.
 
From the scams that we have seen and which will be discussed, there are 3 observations that I would like to hone in on:

Firstly, online scams are not just targeting certain segments of the communities or the most vulnerable. These scammers/cybercriminals are on the same platforms that we are all on and are attacking everyone. And that is why we need to be advocates for cyber hygiene practices in our communities. We cannot rely on enforcement alone. The best defense against scams is an alert, vigilant and discerning people.

Secondly, with the global economic conditions, we should anticipate more scams. The key is to spot it and not fall prey to it. This is why we need to ensure that we are obtaining the correct information from trusted sources like the social media handles and websites of the Fiji Government and the Scam Task Force Members. Additionally, there is a need to relook at digital literacy and digital education campaigns and ensure that it is tailored to diverse audiences and is culturally sensitive. This is an area of focus.

Thirdly, scams are beginning to evolve and be more sophisticated. We saw the setting up of physical offices by agents for some of these scams. Scammers are now using Artificial Intelligence to further mask themselves and abroad, we see AI being used to mimic the voices of loved ones in distress or make the scam more convincing. Therefore, we need to be vigilant. I will be sharing some steps that we can take to protect ourselves.
 
As scammers and cyber criminals continue to advance and evolve in their tactics, we need to collectively coordinate our efforts to stop their activities. With this as our North Star, the Government set up the Scam Task Force – which is the first of its kind –, to coordinate government, law enforcement, and the private sector to combat scams. This Task Force is led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications; or the Permanent Secretary for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications.

The Task Force includes the:
Fiji Police Force;
Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission;
Consumer Council of Fiji;
Online Safety Commission;
Reserve Bank of Fiji; and
Office of the Solicitor – General.

Given that most fraudulent activities are centered around fake accounts and businesses posing as legitimate financial institutions, additional members can be co-opting into the Task Force, such as the Financial Intelligence Unit, Commercial Banks and Telecommunication service providers.
 
The next question is what does the Scam Task Force Do? Currently, there are three key roles of the Task Force.

Firstly, through the Task Force Members, up-to-date information on scams will be disseminated. Members of the Taskforce also conduct awareness and advocacy on online scams in order to inform the public, in addition to enhancing financial literacy. It is also important that victims of scams are encouraged to report to the authorities, at the earliest. This will result in lesser incidents of scams and people not being re-victimised.

Secondly, it strengthens information-sharing amongst the various stakeholders to disrupt the scammers. This will result in better data and frontline reports across this anti-scam ecosystem.

Thirdly, it strengthens coordination amongst the stakeholders to combat scams. This will result in earlier interventions by the relevant stakeholders and more effective victim mediation and services. This is an ongoing effort.

Significant progress is being made by the Task Force to review existing legal and regulatory frameworks so that Fiji is a harder target for scammers/cybercriminals and to assist the relevant agencies in investigation and enforcement processes. There is also a need to strengthen our consumer protection agencies such as the Consumer Council of Fiji, Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission and Online Safety Commission to have the ability to swifty charge the scammers.

We are also closely following how other countries are dealing with this challenge. For example, Australia recently established a National Anti-Scam Centre.
 
So, if i can just zoom out, this demonstrates the need to ensure that our cybersecurity measures are up to par, stronger protection tools are in place and closer cooperation mechanisms are made the most of. Whether it is deactivating unused accounts, ensuring patching of our systems, sharing of accurate information, creating awareness of cyber hygiene practices, or putting into place relevant legislation and policies, cybersecurity efforts need to be addressed through a multi-stakeholder approach and, indeed, a whole-of-nation  approach.

We have a Cybercrime Act which is aligned to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and this is the only legally binding instrument on cybercrime. Fiji has received an invitation to be a party to the Budapest Convention and we are actively working towards our accession. We are also actively participating in the UN Cybercrime Ad Hoc Committee which is looking into a UN instrument on cybercrime and the UN Open-Ended Working Group on the security of and in the use of information and communication technologies (OEWG). The OEWG is looking at responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.  I understand that David, Chief Legal Advisor FCCC, will be elaborating on the legal framework for scams such as pyramid schemes.

We are in the process of reviewing our National Cybersecurity Strategy due to the rapid acceleration of digital technologies and due to evolving threats. We have also started the development of our National E-Commerce Strategy.  Proactive Anti-Scam measures and improving cyber well-being are core focus areas in these two strategies. We are also currently working on establishing our national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) – which looks at incident monitoring, detection and responding. And to formalise the current capabilities that exist. In this regard, dedicated and tailored capacity building and information sharing workshops have been undertaken and co-facilitated by the Council of Europe and the Ministry for various stakeholders such as investigation and law enforcement agencies, prosecution, service operators and the judiciary, to name a few. This continues to be a priority.

As a Region, our cybersecurity mandate is underpinned by the 2018 Boe Declaration and our 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its recently launched Implementation Plan. In September, the regional ICT Ministers also met and signed the Lagatoi Declaration and one of the key pillars are digital trust and security and capacity building.

With all of these developments, it is clear that the legal fraternity has a crucial role. According to Cisco, there are 4.5 million cybersecurity jobs available today. We do not have enough people. According to Microsoft study – by 2025, the global workforce is on the brink to add 149 million new technology-oriented jobs with emerging fields such as cloud and data roles, privacy and trust, software development, cybersecurity, and data analysis, machine learning and AI -- anticipated to ground-well. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that we have a pipeline of people with the right skillset. This also means specialised legal skillset for these new and emerging technology and frontier technology areas including cyber insurance and data protection.
We hear the phrase – “Cybersecurity is a collective or shared responsibility”. This is where cyber hygiene practices are critical.  What does this mean?

Well, for individuals, it means not using the same password across various online accounts; it means not having weak passwords such as password or 12345; when having to update or create passwords, not slightly tweaking password from ‘ilove1’ to ‘ilove11’ – it means employing multi-factor authentication, not clicking on suspicious email links, and ensuring that software systems are updated regularly including anti-virus software. It also means being intentional about what we share online because social engineering techniques exploit our digital footprint. And with AI, scammers can use this to gain your trust.  It also means referring to authentic sources for information such as the Fiji Government social media handle or other official accounts for accurate information.
 
For example, the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit on 30 September released an advisory alerting a cryptocurrency scam and advised that there are currently no authorised virtual assets service providers in Fiji.

For companies, entities and organisations – it means deactivating unused accounts, ensuring patching of our systems, employing least privilege, using correctly configured firewalls and anti-virus to protect systems, having proper data backups, encouraging cyber hygiene practices among employees, and looking at cybersecurity as an investment and not a cost.

As a collective, it is creating a culture of cyber hygiene practices which we recognise will take time, sharing of accurate information, and having these types of conversations so that we can share insights, workshop challenges and leverage opportunities for closer collaboration. It requires all of us, progressing these conversations and implementing cyber security safeguards and measures so that we can harness the many opportunities of the digital world.

In closing, lawyers as digital guardians are essential to improve cyber hygiene and cyber wellbeing and cybersecurity capabilities and readiness across Fiji by fostering collaboration. This is a confidence building and trust building measure and our unique learnings can be shared with other networks.

Vinaka Vakalevu and Thank you.