Welcome to Issue #7 of NetMission Digest. As we move further into 2026, the digital landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift. While the previous years were defined by generative AI, Microsoft leadership labelled 2026 the year of AI agents – systems that, unlike chatbots that respond to prompts, can independently plan, make decisions, and execute […]
Category: NetMission Digest
Connectivity in Crisis: What the Recent Events in Balochistan, Pakistan Reveal About Digital Rights and Internet Governance
When Silence Speaks Louder Than Words In the early hours of 29–30 January 2026, as violence spread across Balochistan, another crisis unfolded alongside it: a near-total communication blackout. With internet and mobile services suspended, residents in cities such as Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Pasni, Turbat, Panjgur, and Gwadar were left without access to timely information. People […]
Digital Rights and the Struggle for Civic Space in Pakistan
In many parts of the world, a single social media post can now trigger arrest, investigation, and public vilification. In Pakistan, the distance between a tweet and a courtroom has grown alarmingly short, reflecting a broader regional shift in how states perceive and police digital expression. Across the Asia-Pacific, governments increasingly frame online restrictions as […]
A Connected Story of AI, Security, Investment, and Risk
AI-powered cyber threats are outpacing traditional defenses. Governments are racing to enforce new data protection and AI governance rules. And across the region, from Taiwan’s new AI Basic Law to Indonesia’s first data protection penalties, a striking pattern is emerging: different countries are converging on similar structural questions about resilience, sovereignty, and trust. 🔐 From […]
The Quantum Leap
From the 20th Internet Governance Forum and WSIS+20 Outcome Document Resolution to global investment themes and TIME’s Person of the Year, artificial intelligence (AI) dominated news headlines, corporate announcements, and national strategies across the globe. As AI went mainstream in 2025, it was a misfortune that such an umbrella term put a number of other […]