Benjamin Ang is Senior Fellow and Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), oversees Future Issues in Technology (FIT), as well as Head of Digital Impact Research (DIR) at RSIS. 

He leads the CENS policy research team that writes, publishes, and lectures internationally on national security issues related to cyber, international cyber norms, disinformation, cybercrime, foreign interference, hybrid threats, digital security, social cohesion, polarization, and social resilience. At FIT, he leads the team exploring policy issues in artificial intelligence, space, quantum technology, smart cities, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies. Through DIR, he networks with the wide array of RSIS experts who study the impact of digital technology into their respective security domains.

He has given expert testimony at the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on Cyber, testified before Singapore’s Parliamentary Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods, and regularly lectures at the UN-Singapore Cyber Fellowship.

Prior to this, he had a multi-faceted career that included time as a litigation lawyer arguing commercial cases, IT Director and General Manager of a major Singapore law firm, corporate lawyer specialising in technology law and intellectual property issues, in house legal counsel in an international software company, Director-Asia in a regional technology consulting firm, in-house legal counsel in a transmedia company, and senior law lecturer at a local Polytechnic, specialising in data privacy, digital forensics, and computer misuse and cybersecurity.

Benjamin graduated from Law School at the National University of Singapore and has an MBA and MS-MIS (Masters of Science in Management Information Systems) from Boston University.

He also serves as Co-Chief Data Officer of AI.Singapore, the national programme that builds national capabilities in AI, and volunteers on the Executive Committee of the Internet Society Singapore Chapter. He is qualified as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore and was a Certified Novell Network Administrator back in the day.

Areas of Research

Benjamin leads the Centre of Excellence for National Security in researching

• Cybersecurity and Digital Security
• Hybrid Threats and Foreign Interference
• Disinformation and Online Harms
• Social Resilience, Cohesion, Polarisation
• Radicalisation

He also leads the team researching Future Issues and Technology (artificial intelligence, quantum, space, energy)

Media Appearances

ChannelNewsAsia

BizTech Asia APAC Cybersecurity Podcast

International news media

Policy Reports

• Networks of Inauthentic News Sites and the Risk of Hostile Information Campaigns in Singapore

  25 October, 2024

• Inauthentic Local Lifestyle and News Websites and the Challenge for Media Literacy

  25 October, 2024

• Successful Cyber-Risk Management of Operational Technology and Industrial Control Systems: Technical and Policy Recommendations

  04 February, 2021

• Countermeasures Against Foreign Interference

  17 April, 2020

• Cases of Foreign Interference in Asia

  26 March, 2020

• Fake News: National Security in the Post-Truth Era

  19 January, 2018

RSIS Commentary Series

• How a Network of Inauthentic Websites Could Be a Threat to Singapore

  23 October, 2024

• How Effective is POFMA in Battling Online Falsehoods?

  18 October, 2024

• Enhancing ASEAN Cooperation Against AI-Powered Cyber Influence Operations

  06 September, 2024

• Deepfakes and the Dangers to National Security and Defence

  23 July, 2024

• We Need to Prevent a Global AI Arms Race Now

  14 December, 2023

• COVID-19: What Changes – and What Doesn’t

  17 April, 2020

• Next Steps for Cyber Norms in ASEAN

  22 October, 2018

• CO17026 | Clickbait: Fake News and Role of the State

  09 February, 2017

• CO16312 | Society, Technology and National Security

  23 December, 2016

• CO16053 | Beyond Apple vs FBI: Implications for Singapore’s Smart Nation Project

  04 March, 2016

Annual Reviews

• Technology Policy and the Future Role of Stakeholders

  16 January, 2025

• Emerging Technologies and National Security - Review of 2023

  15 January, 2024

• Selected Essays by RSIS Researchers - 2020

  18 January, 2021

Future Issues

• Science, Technology and Security: Energy (June 2024)

  12 June, 2024

• Science, Technology and Security: Space (January 2024)

  31 January, 2024

• Science, Technology and Security: AI (September 2023)

  26 September, 2023

Journal Articles

• “ASEAN Ambiguity on International Law and Norms for Cyberspace” (with Tan E Guang Eugene) in Baltic Yearbook of International Law Online, Vol 20, Issue 1 , 2022. pp. 133–162
• “Small States Learn Different Survival Lessons” in The Cyber Defense Review (CDR) , Vol. 7 , 1 Winter , 2022, 93-99
• “Cyber Conflict and Disruption” in POINTER - Monograph 13 - Defending Cyberspace, 13, 2019
• “Cybersecurity in Southeast Asia” (with Michael Raska) in Asia Centre, 2018. 1-9

Edited Books / Special Issues

• Disinformation and Fake News (with Shashi Jayakumar, and Nur Diyanah Binte Anwar), Eds. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020
• DRUMS: Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation, and Smears (with Norman Vasu, and Shashi Jayakumar), Eds. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2019
• Fostering Innovation For Future Security Challenges (with Damien D. Cheong, Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, and Norman Vasu), Eds. Singapore: Interpol, 2017
• Benjamin Ang, “Stronger Encryption or Weaker Encryption for Public Safety?”, Global Perspectives from Experts at INTERPOL World 2017 Congress, INTERPOL, July 2017

Chapters in Edited Books

• “Cybersecurity and Legislation: The Case Study of Singapore” in Gabi Siboni (Tel Aviv University, Israel) and Limor Ezioni (Academic Center for Science and Law, Israel), Cybersecurity and Legal-Regulatory Aspects. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing , 2021, 89-102
• “Fake News and Disinformation: Singapore Perspectives” (with Shashi Jayakumar, and Nur Diyanah Binte Anwar) in Shashi Jayakumar, Benjamin Ang, Nur Diyanah Anwar (Eds.), Disinformation and Fake News. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, pp. 137-158
• “Singapore, ASEAN and international cybersecurity” in Tikk, Eneken, and Mika Kerttunen, Routledge Handbook of International Cybersecurity. United Kingdom: Routledge, 2020, 17
• “Civilians in the Information Operations Battlefront: China’s Information Operations in the Taiwan Straits” (with Gulizar Haciyakupoglu) in Norman Vasu, Benjamin Ang and Shashi Jayakumar (Eds.), DRUMS: Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation, and Smears. Singapore : World Scientific , 2019, 83-113
• “International Law and Interaction Between States” in Wong Helen, Cyber Security: Law and Guidance. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Professional, 2018, pp. 49-55
• “Singapore’s Digital Defence” (with Tan Teck Boon) in Alan Chong (Ed.), Forward Engagement – RSIS as a Think Tank of International Studies and Security in the Asia Pacific. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co., 2018, pp. 76-154

Op-Eds

• “We need to prevent a global AI arms race now” (with Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano), The Straits Times, 8 December 2023
• “Commentary: The good, bad and unknowns of letting Singapore’s civil servants use ChatGPT” (with Terence Ho, and Shashi Jayakumar), Today, 1 March 2023
• “Commentary: Shocking risks and little control – the scary things about Facebook’s outage”, Channel News Asia, 12 October 2021
• “Cybersecurity lessons from the pandemic” (with Teo Yi-Ling), The Business Times, 13 July 2021
• “Zoom in on Ways to Keep Online Lessons Safe.”, The Straits Times, 10 April 2020
• “Five Questions You May Have about the New ‘Fake News’ Law.”, The Straits Times, 14 May 2019
• “Lessons from War of the Worlds, 80 years on” (with Norman Vasu), TODAY, 29 October 2018
• “Three issues to consider in drafting policies to tackle disinformation” (with Norman Vasu), TODAY, 28 September 2018
• “Cybersecurity in Southeast Asia” (with Michael Raska), Observatoire Asie du Sud-Est , 22 May 2018
• “Why Mindefs move engage white hat hackers may pay off”, Today, 8 January 2018
• “How to future-proof cyber security laws”, The Straits Times, 8 January 2018
• “Tackling Transnational Crime with Mutual Legal Assistance”, INTERPOL, 8 January 2018
• Benjamin Ang, “Stronger Encryption or Weaker Encryption for Public Safety?”, Global Perspectives from Experts at INTERPOL World 2017 Congress, INTERPOL, July 2017
• “Embracing Technology to Boost National Security” (with Norman Vasu), Today, 22 December 2016
• “Smart Nation, but Will We Be Secure?” (with Shashi Jayakumar), The Straits Times, 14 October 2016
• Ang, Benjamin. "Sending the right message about Internet and security". The Straits Times, June 20, 2016. Accessed June 30, 2016. http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/sending-the-right-message-about-internet-and-security
• Ang, Benjamin. Restricted Internet access may see public servants adopting ‘Shadow IT’. Yahoo News, June 11, 2016. Accessed June 28, 2016. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/comment-restricted-internet-access-may-see-public-074342999.html

Keynote Lectures

Regulating Technology for Digital Security – Global Forum on Digital Security and Prosperity (OECD)

Testimony at the United Nations Open Ended Working Group (UN OEWG on Cyber)

Recent talks

• Representative, Multistakeholder Participation at the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on State Use of ICT, December 2023.
• Speaker, Governance of AI and National Security at the Social Trust in AI Conference by NISTH, November 2023.
• Discussant, Co-Creation of Singapore’s OT Cybersecurity Masterplan for Consultation by Cybersecurity Agency, November 2023.
• Speaker, Why Bank Service Outages are a National Security Concern for Channel News Asia TV interview, November 2023.
• Interview, Singapore’s Proposed Foreign Investment Law for Interviews by Channel News Asia, Lianhe Zaobao, Straits Times, Business Times, November 2023.
• Speaker, Science and Technology Cooperation between Countries at the Science and Technology Cooperation Conference by Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, October 2023.
• Singapore’s National Security Lessons Learned from Russia’s War Against Ukraine at the Russia´s War Against Ukraine: Lessons Learned for Cyber Military Strategy and Operations, by IISS, October 2023.
• Speaker, AI and National Security Risk at the Navigating AI Transitions and Risks Workshop by Nanyang Business School, October 2023.
• Speaker, Global Forum for Cyber Expertise: Catalyzing Cyber Syntergy at the GFCE Regional Meeting at Singapore International Cyber Week, October 2023.
• Speaker, Safeguarding Information Integrity in the Age of Generative AI for the Safeguarding Information Integrity in the Age of Generative AI workshop by Canadian, Estonian, and Netherlands Embassies, October 2023.
• Speaker, Internet Fragmentation and National Security at the UNIDIR Multistakeholder Dialogue, October 2023.
• Speaker, International Humanitarian Law and Civilianization of Cyber and Digital Operations at the Roundtable by International Committee of Red Cross and the Geneva Academy, Geneva, Switzerland, September 2023.
• Lecturer, Cyber and Information Domains for the SAFTI GKS CSC Executive Course, September 2023.
• Speaker, Public Private Academia Partnership in Asia’s Threat Environment for the Ensider Voices Podcast by Ensign Infosecurity, September 2023.
• Speaker, Challenges for Small States Imposing Consequences for Malicious Cyber Activity at the Global Cyber Peace Regime Conference by Korea’s National Security Research Foundation, Seoul, South Korea, September 2023.
• Lecturer, New Technologies and National Security at the LKY SPP course on International Security, September 2023.
• Speaker, Internet Fragmentation for the APr IGF Townhall on Internet Fragmentation, August 2023.
• Speaker, International Cyber Norms and CBMs for the UN- Singapore Cyber Fellowship, August 2023.
• Speaker and Expert Panel, Digital Defense at the RSIS-MINDEF ACICE Digital Defense Symposium, July 2023.
• Discussant, Open Technology, Security, and Innovation at the Closed-door roundtable by Google, July 2023.
• Speaker, Moderator & Facilitator, Global Cyber Policy Dialogues: Southeast Asia for the Conference with ORF America and the Netherlands Embassy, July 2023.
• Speaker, US ASEAN Global Cyber Dialogue, 7 December 2022.
• Speaker, Regional Consultation of States in the Asia-Pacific Region on International Humanitarian Law and Cyber Operations during Armed Conflicts – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), 29-30 November 2022.
• Speaker, Anticipating cyber threats and geopolitical risks – Istari Academy, 20 October 2022.
• Speaker, Let’s Talk Cyber Panel Discussion, Singapore International Cyber Week, 19 October 2022.
• Speaker, Tackling the Ransomware Scourge – Global Cooperation for a Transboundary Issue, Singapore International Cyber Week, 18 October 2022.
• Speaker, National Security Panel, Keio University Cyber Symposium, 14 October 2022.
• Speaker, International Humanitarian Law and Cyber, Roundtable on IHL, International Committee of the Red Cross and NUS Centre for International Law, 15 September 2022.
• Speaker, Understanding New Conflicts, Cyber Threats & Security – Singapore Armed Forces Command and Staff Course, 17 August 2022.
• Speaker, Lecture at UN-Singapore Cyber Fellowship, ASEAN-Singapore Cyber Centre of Excellence, 4 August 2022.
• Speaker, Cyber Capacity Building Workshop, UN-Singapore Cyber Programme (at United Nations HQ), 21 – 22 July 2022.
• Speaker, Cybersecurity and Geopolitical Risk, Smart Cybersecurity Summit Asia 2022 – 28 April 2022.
• Speaker, Foreign Interference in Domestic Politics – A National Security Perspective, Singapore Civil Defence Force command and staff course, 27 September 2022.
• Speaker, Changing Domains: The Cyber/Info Realm – Singapore Armed Forces Command and Staff Course (Executive) Strategic Studies, 26 September 2022.
• Speaker, Panel on Data Management, IAPP Asia Privacy Forum, 19 July 2022.
• Speaker, Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence Technologies and International Politics, Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, 28 June 2022.
• Lecturer, UN Singapore Cyber Programme, Capacity Building for ASEAN officials, 23 – 24 March 2022.
• Briefing on Cyber, RSIS Technology/Armament Meeting with Ambassador Mayaudon of France, 14 March 2022.
• Moderator, Panel for FIT Workshop on “National Security and Emerging Technologies: Critical Issues”, 3 March 2022.
• Speaker, Lecture on Changing Domains: The Cyber/Info Realm at GKS CSC, 2 March 2022.
• Speaker, EU Cyber Direct Regional Scoping Workshop, 28 February 2022.
• Speaker, Munich Cyber Security Conference (MCSC) 2022 – Digital Edition, 17 February 2022.
• Speaker, GFCE Report Launch “Putting Cyber Norms in Practice: Implementing the UN GGE 2015 recommendations through national strategies and policies”, 27 January 2022.
• Speaker, NATO CCDCOE Symposium on Non-Western Approaches to International Law and Cyber Operations, 14 December 2021.
• Speaker, The Azure Forum Virtual Roundtable on “Global Security Risks in 2021: What to expect in the year ahead”,7 December 2021 .
• Lecturer, Columbia University (Adam Segal) Cyber Conflict and Cybersecurity, 28 October 2021.
• Speaker, RSIS-CAPS Webinar Séminaire Autonomie Stratégique, 28 October 2021.
• Speaker, Network of ASEAN-Russia Think Tanks (NARTT), 11 October 2021.
• Lecturer, GKS CSC on Changing Domain: The Cyber/Info Realm, 23 September 2021.
• Speaker, Hong Kong Internet Governance Forum (HK IGF) Webinar on Fake News Laws: An Effective Way to Combat Disinformation Online, 15 September 2021.
• Speaker, Law Society of Singapore Foreign Interference and Online Harms Conference, 15 September 2021.
• Speaker, “Social and Human Cost of Cyber Operations”, AGC-ICRC-RSIS Workshop, 18 August 2021.
• Speaker and Moderator, “ASEAN and Cyber Norms”, Singapore-Malaysia ASEAN Workshop, 12 August 2021.
• Speaker, Smart Cybersecurity Summit, Cybersecurity World Asia, 21 July 2021.
• Speaker and Moderator, Council for Security Cooperation Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Study Group on International Law and Cyber Operations, 9 June 2021.
• Speaker, RSIS and Korea Foundation, “ROK-Singapore Partnership in Innovation” discussion panel at the 5th Korea-Singapore Forum, 28 May 2021.
• Lecturer, “Framework for Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace”, George Marshall Center and Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, 20 April 2021.
• Lecturer “ASCCE Webinar: National Cyber Security Strategy Development”, ASEAN Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, 14 April 2021.
• Lecturer “Understanding New Military Conflict – Cyber Threats & Security”, GKS Command and Staff College, 12 April 2021.
• Speaker, “Making universal digital access a reality” with Lim Sun Sun, Irene Ng, Natalie Pang, for NUS SSR, 30 March 2021.
• Panelist, “Ethics, AI and data privacy”, 22CT Summit ROUNDTABLE, 25 February 2021.
• Speaker and Discussant, Council for Security Cooperation Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Study Group on International Law in Cyberspace by Council for Security Cooperation Asia Pacific (CSCAP), 14 Dec 2020.
• Panelist, Straits Times ST Reset Webinar on Digitalisation & Cyber Security by Singapore Press Holdings, 9 Dec 2020.
• Speaker, Informal Multi-stakeholder Dialogue Series supporting the UN OEWG, Existing and EmergingThreats by Australia DFAT and Indonesia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec 2020
• Speaker, French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) webinar on Technology and security adapting tochanging cyber security threats in East Asia, by French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), 26 Nov 2020.
• Speaker, US Naval War College CIPI Hopper/Leidos Chairs Cyber Strategic Dialogue Workshop, by US Naval War College, 17-19 Nov 2020.
• Speaker, Pacific Forum webinar on Cybersecurity threats and trends in the Indo-Pacific, by Pacific Forum, 18 Nov 2020.
• Speaker, International Law & Policy in Cyberspace Seminar, by George Marshall Center, 16 Oct 2020.
• Speaker, Charter of Trust webinar on How industry is reshaping cybersecurity in our connected world, by Charter of Trust, 13Oct 2020.
• Speaker, G1 Global Conference on Disruptive Evolution in Cyberspace: How COVID-19 has affected the Geopolitical Landscape, by G1 Global Conference, 11 Oct 2020.
• Speaker, Webinar for Information Security and Privacy Awareness Week by SingTel, 23 Sep 2020.
• Speaker, East Asia Summit (EAS)on Regional Cyber Capacity Building: Seizing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, by Governments of Singapore and Australia, 21-22 September 2020.
• Lecturer, Operations Other Than War (OOTW) Executive Course, Understanding New Military Conflict: Cyber Threats & Security, by GKS CSC, 15 Sep 2020.
• Lecturer, Litigation and Court Technology, by Temasek Polytechnic, 17 Jul 2020.
• Panelist, TraceTogether Goes OpenSource: Why It Matters by Progress Singapore Party (PSP), 13 May 2020.
• Speaker, Cybercrime Strategy Guidebook Development Kickoff and Drafting Workshops, by INTERPOL, Dec 2019.
• Speaker, Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure by Japanese Embassy Singapore (with Lim Thian Chin, CSA), Nov 2019
• Keynote Speaker, Workshop on Cybersecurity in Singapore, by Blackberry, Nov 2019.
• Speaker, Workshop on Cooperative Security in Critical Infrastructure Resilience in Cyberspace, by DKI APCSS (Honolulu), Oct 2019.
• Lecturer, Cybersecurity and Cyber Deterrence, by Home Team Academy CSC, Sep 2019
• Speaker, Aviation and Airport Cybersecurity, by SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services), Aug 2019.
• Speaker, UNIDIR Innovations Dialogue 2019 on Beneficial Applications of Quantum Computing for International Security, by United Nations (Geneva), Aug 2019.
• Lecturer, UN-Singapore Cyber Programme, by United Nations and CSA, July 2020.
• Lecturer, RSIS Cyber Policy Executive Course, by CENS / RSIS, July 2020.