Rising Digital Threats and the AUEU SummitCEFR A2
10 Dec 2025
Adapted from Cecilia Maundu, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Storyzangu Hub, Unsplash
Digital threats are now central to talks between the African Union and the European Union. Investigative journalists in Africa face spyware, monitoring and online attacks that can expose sensitive information. Kenya recorded more than 4.5 billion cyber-attacks in three months, showing how large the risk has become.
Reports say attacks target health systems, telecom networks and public administration. A private review and an Interpol assessment note rising malware infections and data breaches. With fewer than 25,000 certified cybersecurity professionals, many countries struggle to respond. At the recent AUEU Summit in Luanda, leaders discussed data protection, connectivity, training and the need to protect women online.
Difficult words
- investigative journalist — a reporter who studies and checks factsInvestigative journalists
- spyware — software that secretly collects information from computers
- cyber-attack — an online action to harm systems or datacyber-attacks
- malware — programs that harm or steal data on computers
- data breach — when private information is taken or exposeddata breaches
- connectivity — the state of being connected to networks or internet
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think training in cybersecurity is important in your country? Why or why not?
- What steps can people take to protect their personal information online?
- How can leaders help protect women from online attacks?
Related articles
Instagram bot campaigns target activists and media in Western Balkans
In November 2025 coordinated bot operations hit activist and media Instagram accounts in the Western Balkans. Reports on November 16 and 23, 2025 describe fake followers, mass reports, bot comments and mass liking that reduced visibility.
Iran’s long internet shutdown and new censorship model
Protests in December 2025 and January 2026 caused a near-complete internet shutdown in Iran. Authorities later moved to a white-listed model, and reports and company documents link deep packet inspection tools and a firm called Protei to the controls.
AI audio summaries of research can help — and err
Researchers tested Google’s NotebookLM, which turns research papers into podcast-style audio. The summaries were engaging and clearer for teaching, but every audio overview contained mistakes, so the authors advise reading the original papers to check claims.
