ASEAN Endorses New Guidelines at 2026 Digital Ministers Meeting
On January 16, the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting (ADGMIN) in Hanoi adopted the Hanoi Digital Declaration to foster regional collaboration on emerging technologies. Officials endorsed the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2030 and key regional frameworks focused on submarine cables, anti-scam policies, and digital platform regulation. These endorsements reflects the ASEAN Member States’ shared commitment to addressing systemic vulnerabilities in critical digital infrastructure and cross-border threats as the region’s digital economy grows.
Among these frameworks, the ASEAN Guide on Anti-Scam Policies and Best Practices adopts a tiered approach based on readiness, providing an overview of best practices and existing interventions by key stakeholders. The guide introduces a regional traceback mechanism, enabling ASEAN Member States to trace the origin of scams across the region. The ASEAN Working Group on Anti-Online Scams (WG-AS) is emphasized as a potential mechanism to facilitate greater regional cooperation against international scam calls and SMS. In parallel, the U.S.-led 10 Public-Private Partnership Principles for Tackling Online Scams were also endorsed, highlighting efforts by Dialogue Partners and industry to support ASEAN’s scam mitigation efforts.