UK-Georgia Cyber Partnership launch Georgian language Cybercrime Report
On 28 March, the UK-Georgia Cyber Partnership (UKGCP) launched a Georgian language version of research shedding light on the experience and perception of cybercrime and online harms in Georgia.
The paper was launched in Tbilisi with the participation of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Digital Governance Agency and was produced with funding from the UK-Georgia Cyber Partnership (UKGCP) programme. The UKGCP is an initiative led by TAG International on behalf of the British Embassy in Georgia in support of the UK-Georgia partnership.
The research was jointly conducted by RUSI and its partner organisation, the Georgian-based Regional Institute for Security Services (RISS) and has established an independent evidence base on the experience and perception of cybercrime and online harms in Georgia, with a focus on how and why certain groups are more vulnerable.
The paper examines Georgian citizens’ sense of safety and security online, and their awareness of what constitute illegal activities in and through cyberspace. It finds that general perceptions of cybercrime often conflate cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crime and online harms. The research also highlights a lack of understanding of what activities the Criminal Code of Georgia (CCG) considers to be cybercrime.
The authors observe that, while there is a persistent reluctance to report cyber incidents among vulnerable groups, the government is considered a trustworthy messenger on the threat of cybercrime and cyber hygiene mitigations. The report recommends that the Georgian Government should leverage this perception to make targeted interventions and improve general cyber awareness and preparedness.
Commenting on the programme, RUSI Research Fellow Joseph Jarnecki and RISS Director Natia Seskuria, said:
In Georgia, cybercrime is a growing threat which requires robust action to address. Increased whole-of-society efforts should be put into raising people’s awareness, cyber hygiene, and confidence against cybercrime.
Joseph Jarnecki
Research Fellow
About the UK-Georgia Cyber Partnership Programme
The UK-Georgia Cyber Partnership (UKGCP) is a programme funded by the UK’s Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and led by TAG International. Working closely with the British Embassy Tbilisi, the UKGCP supports the implementation and coordination of Georgia’s National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS), working with cross-government stakeholders to:
1. Support the Information and Cyber Security Department (ICSD) coordinate the delivery of the NCSS;
2. Create an information management framework to facilitate more effective response to cyber incidents;
3. Increase awareness of the Georgian public about cyber threats.
About RUSI’s Cyber Research Group
Founded in 1831, The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) is an independent think tank engaged in cutting-edge defence and security research. As an independent charity, RUSI produces evidence-based research and convenes events on defence, security and international affairs to help build a safer UK and a more secure, equitable and stable world.
RUSI’s cyber research group aims to clearly communicate complex and technical topic in plain language for non-technical audiences. In so doing, the programme informs policy approaches to cyber-related challenges by developing a strong evidence base for policymakers and practitioners. Recent research has focused on issues relating to national cyber strategies, ransomware, 5G security, and cyber insurance. The programme has a global outlook and has grown a network of cyber experts from the public sector, the private sector and academia.