In an article for WIRED, Matt Burgess writes about the Universe Browser, which promises to be the “fastest browser” and can avoid privacy leaks. However, research shows hidden elements of this browser include features similar to malware, with links to Chinese online gambling websites and Southeast Asia’s sprawling, multibillion-dollar cybercrime ecosystem.

In an article for Lighthouse Reports, researchers investigate a vast archive of data on the deep web, from a surveillance company called First Wap. Investigation shows how phone network collections can be leveraged to allow tracking all over the world, without authorization from the targeted networks.

In a paper for SSRN (the Social Science Research Network), NYSEAN Member Haakon Huynh analyzes the political economy of AI infrastructure in Vietnam, focusing on how the Vietnamese state regulates data centers and cloud services while increasing reliance on foreign capital and expertise.

In an article for Asia Sentinel, Toh Han Shih discusses a US Department of Justice case involving an online scam allegedly operated by a Cambodian conglomerate, Prince Holding Group, and its founding chairman, Vincent Chen Zhi. The case constitutes a growing recognition of the nature of the cybercrime threat from Cambodia, which costs Americans up to $10 billion annually and produces hundreds of thousands of human trafficking victims  across the world, particularly in the US, China, and the EU.

Haakon Huynh (Columbia University) is seeking collaborators for ongoing research on artificial intelligence (AI) governance in Southeast Asia. His recent working paper, “Digital Sovereignty or Dependency? The Political Economy of AI Infrastructure in Vietnam,” examines how Vietnam governs AI infrastructure amid growing foreign investment from firms like NVIDIA.

Haakon welcomes contact from scholars, practitioners, and students interested in AI policy, digital infrastructure, or the political economy of technology in the region.