The increased dependency on technology brings national security to the forefront of concerns of the 21st century. It creates many challenges to developing and developed nations in their effort to counter cyber threats and adds to the inherent risk factors associated with technology. The failure to securely protect data would potentially give rise to far-reaching catastrophic consequences. Therefore, it is crucially important to have national, regional, and global data protection policies and regulations to penalise those engaged in unethical use of technology and abuse the system vulnerabilities of technology. This research paper aims to analyse GDPR inspired Bills in the South Asian Region and to identify their appropriateness for developing a global level data protection mechanism, given that Asian nations are far more diverse than those of the European nations. Against that background, the objectives of this paper are to identify GDPR inspired Bills in the South Asian Region, identify the similarities and disparities, and the barriers to developing a regional level data protection mechanism, thereby fulfilling the need for developing a global level mechanism. This research is qualitative in nature, and with that in mind, the researcher conducted an extensive literature survey of previous research papers, journal articles, previous survey reports and government publications on the above content. Taking account of the findings of the survey, the researcher critically analysed the important parameters identified in the literature review. The key findings of this research indicate that many countries in the South Asian region are in the process of reviewing their current data protection mechanisms, in line with GDPR. In concluding, the researcher emphasised the need to develop adequate data protection mechanisms and believed that going forward it would be the appropriate and practical way to develop a consensus-based regional mechanism that would ultimately enable to develop a lasting global level data protection mechanism.

The growing dependency on digital technologies is becoming a way of life, and at the same time, the collection of data using them for surveillance operations has raised concerns. Notably, some countries use digital surveillance technologies for tracking and monitoring individuals and populations to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus. The technology has the capacity to contribute towards tackling the pandemic effectively, but the success also comes at the expense of privacy rights. The crucial point to make is regardless of who uses and which mechanism, in one way another will infringe personal privacy. Therefore, when considering the use of technologies to combat the pandemic, the focus should also be on the impact of facial recognition cameras, police surveillance drones, and other digital surveillance devices on the privacy rights of those under surveillance. The GDPR was established to ensure that information could be shared without causing any infringement on personal data and businesses; therefore, in generating Big Data, it is important to ensure that the information is securely collected, processed, transmitted, stored, and accessed in accordance with established rules. This paper focuses on Big Data challenges associated with surveillance methods used within the COVID-19 parameters. The aim of this research is to propose practical solutions to Big Data challenges associated with COVID-19 pandemic surveillance approaches. To that end, the researcher will identify the surveillance measures being used by countries in different regions, the sensitivity of generated data, and the issues associated with the collection of large volumes of data and finally propose feasible solutions to protect the privacy rights of the people, during the post-COVID-19 era.

Technology has become an integral part of our educational systems, and its importance in our schools cannot be overstated. However, digital skills, unlike other literacy skills, such as reading, writing, and numeracy, still have many discontinuities between how children use them at home versus in school. Therefore, in Wales (UK), digital skills are being promoted as part of the Digital Competence Framework (DCF) and feature highly in the new Curriculum for Wales (2022). Moreover, the new Digital Technology General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in Wales has been introduced to provide learners with the opportunity to gain a qualification that builds digital skills, knowledge, and understanding. However, this also brings many challenges for teachers, such as a lack of confidence, knowledge, and training, as well as a lack of resources and fear of change, to name a few. These challenges, in turn, have an impact on pupils’ motivation and performance, as well as parents’ ability to support their children. This paper presents a qualitative case study on the development of a new digital technology learning community for primary and secondary school pupils, their teachers, and parents in Blaenau Gwent, Wales (UK). Firstly, the paper will provide insight into what was required to establish an effective learning community, including ensuring engagement and buy-in from all stakeholders. Secondly, through the description, analysis, and interpretation of findings from two studies, the paper will highlight the impact of the DTLSN learning community on teachers and pupils in Blaenau Gwent, especially in terms of their learning and teaching.