Google announces new funding to help protect Asia-Pacific's online population

According to Google, over the past two years, millions have started using the internet for the first time in Asia-pacific, lifting the region's online population to more than 2.5 billion.

Google, via its philanthropic arm Google.org, has announced support for nonprofit organizations in Asia-Pacific with approximately USD5 million in grant funding to raise awareness about security and media literacy and promote positive online habits among underserved communities so that they can navigate the internet safely.

"With the new funding from Google.org, we aim to help nonprofits give more people in every part of the region access to such educational opportunities. Together with the investments we'll continue making to safeguard our own tools and platforms, we hope these efforts will contribute to global progress towards a safer internet for everyone," Scott Beaumont, President, Asia Pacific at Google, wrote in a blog post on Monday.

According to Google, over the past two years, millions have started using the internet for the first time in Asia-pacific, lifting the region's online population to more than 2.5 billion.

Google Search trends show that searches related to privacy and data breaches grew by more than 20% last year, across places as diverse as Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Singapore.

With online misinformation and data breaches on the rise, Google aims to equip people with the skills and knowledge to help them stay safe in the online world. The new funding builds on the more than USD11 million that Google's philanthropic arm has committed to digital responsibility initiatives over the past five years.

"Keeping people online is a shared challenge, not something that any one organization can do alone. One of the most powerful ways we can help protect people is by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to navigate the internet safely," Beaumont said.