Australia to embed cyber security adviser in Samoa Australia will soon embed a cybersecurity adviser within Samoa’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s digital security capability. The announcement was made in the keynote address by Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Samoa, Simon Dawkins, during the launch of the Cyber Safety Outreach Week at the Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi (TATTE) building in Sogi on Sunday evening. “We’ll soon have an Australian Advisor on cyber security embedded in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology,” Dawkins said. He said the initiative followed this year's signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cyber cooperation between Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Samoa. Under the Samoa-Australia Policing Partnership, Dawkins said the Australian Federal Police had also supported the Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services in launching a cybercrime unit last year. “Under the Samoa-Australia Policing Partnership, the Australian Federal Police supported the Samoa Police Prisons and Correction Services to launch their cyber crime unit, ensuring that Samoa is prepared, equipped and capable of protecting its people in the digital space,” he said. Dawkins said cybersecurity and cybersecurity threats continued to grow across the region and stressed the importance of cooperation between Pacific nations and development partners. He also spoke about the risks young people face online, including cyberbullying and online exploitation. “As the father of two young boys, I’m certainly alert to the risks emanating from the online domain,” he said. Dawkins cited Australia's social media minimum-age regulations to ban all under-16s from using age-restricted platforms. Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, in his keynote address, said technology continued to shape how people live, learn and connect, but warned there were also growing online dangers affecting communities. He said, "Times are different from those