On April 20, 2023, a workshop on Cybersecurity for Civil Society: Threats and Response was held within the framework of the project Drive: Digital Research and Impact for Vulnerable E-citizens, a joint project of the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) and the e-Governance Academy (eGA). The event was attended by CSOs, state agencies, and journalists and aimed to educate attendees about the top cybersecurity threats and trends of 2023 and provide essential safeguards to ensure digital privacy.

The workshop was led by Merle Maigre, Programme Director of Cybersecurity at e-Governance Academy and Team Lead for the European Peace Facility cyber defence program in Georgia, the workshop covered topics such as strong password protection, safe use of software and devices, and the risks related to public exposure in social media. Participants also learned about the importance of having a cybersecurity plan and the potential threats regarding it.

The workshop also included presentations from Georgian CSOs, including Eka Gordadze, the representative of the National Cyber Security Association - Georgia, who highlighted the main cyber challenges that Georgia is currently facing, and Nutsa Goguadze, the project manager at Parents for Education, who spoke about the winning project, "Digital education and raising awareness for parents." The project aims to raise awareness among parents in Tbilisi, Bolnisi, and Gori, both online and through face-to-face meetings and training.

Additionally, the possibility of e-elections in Georgia was discussed during the workshop. The attendees talked about whether the country's technical and legal systems are capable of supporting such a system. The workshop also covered topics such as organization risk management processes, business continuity plans, and data categorization.

Overall, the workshop was a practical discussion on cybersecurity threats and responses, providing attendees with valuable insights on protecting themselves and their organizations from potential cyber-attacks.