Digital Asia Hub

What Digital Asia Hub does

Digital Asia Hub is an independent, non-profit Internet and society research think tank founded in 2016 and headquartered in Hong Kong. The organization was incubated by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and operates as a node of the Berkman Klein-led Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC). It conducts interdisciplinary research, knowledge sharing, and capacity building focused on digital rights, platform governance, AI ethics, digital public infrastructure, and the future of work across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Hub's portfolio comprises research programs (Platform Futures, Next Digital Decade, Ranking Digital Rights, Digital Infrastructures, Ethics of Digitalisation, Future(s) of Work and Play, AI in Asia), publications (the Next Digital Decade two-volume case study series, Small Books for Big Platforms, and the Drones and Dreams speculative fiction collection), and events including the Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC), Platform Futures roundtables, and capacity-building workshops. Outputs are distributed as open-access publications under Creative Commons licensing and through hybrid in-person/virtual events hosted across multiple Asian countries.

The business model is donation-based: funding flows from individual, institutional, and corporate donations, with visible grant relationships including Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and program co-hosting arrangements with academic partners such as Chiang Mai University and ArtEZ University of the Arts. There is no commercial product, pricing model, or SaaS offering; engagement with researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, students, and civil society organizations is provided free of charge.

Name

Digital Asia Hub

Legal name

Digital Asia Hub

Website

https://digitalasiahub.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Digital Asia Hub is an independent, non-profit Internet and society research think tank in Hong Kong that conducts interdisciplinary research, publishes open-access reports, and hosts conferences on digital rights, platform governance, and AI across the Asia-Pacific region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Think Tank Research and Policy Analysis

akta.pro primary industry

EdTech & Digital Learning Policy Research (EDADADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK), Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms (MPAJAMAJ)

Keywords

• Internet governance research
• Platform regulation studies
• Digital rights advocacy
• Technology policy think tank
• Capacity building programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The Digital Asia Hub is funded through individual, institutional, and corporate donations. As a non-profit organization, the Hub relies on external funding to support its research, knowledge sharing, and capacity building activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Digital Asia Hub is an independent, non-profit Internet and society research think tank that conducts interdisciplinary research, knowledge sharing, and capacity building focused on digital Asia. It produces open access publications, case studies, and policy reports; convenes the Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) and Platform Futures expert network; and runs research programs on digital rights, platform governance, AI ethics, digital infrastructure, and the future of work. Its offerings are funded through donations and provided free of charge to researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, students, and civil society organizations.

Product overview

Digital Asia Hub is an independent, non-profit Internet and society research think tank based in Hong Kong. The organization does not offer a commercial product or SaaS platform; instead, it provides research, knowledge sharing, and capacity building programs focused on digital Asia. Its portfolio includes Platform Futures (a research program on platform governance), the Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC), and various publications including the 'Next Digital Decade' case study series and 'Small Books for Big Platforms' series. The organization also runs projects on Ranking Digital Rights, Digital Infrastructures, Ethics of Digitalisation, and Future(s) of Work and Play.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Platform Futures A research program that convenes academics and experts studying multiple aspects of platforms to create dialogue on opportunities, challenges, and governance best practices in the APAC context. Includes an expert network, publications, roundtables, and capacity-building workshops aimed at researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
• Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) An annual academic conference serving as a global network for emerging and senior academics studying digital life in China. Digital Asia Hub serves as the organizer, hosting conferences on topics including digital culture, innovation, surveillance, geopolitics, public infrastructure, and digital rights.
• Ranking Digital Rights Project Partnership project with Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) to advance corporate accountability in South-East and East-Asia by ranking selected corporate actors for their commitments to human rights, digital rights, and platform governance.
• Digital Infrastructures Project Research project examining India's digitization of public service delivery infrastructure, focusing on the use of Open Source Software, rights-respecting digital public infrastructure, and principles of openness and transparency.
• The Ethics of Digitalisation: From Principles to Practice Project advancing dialogue and action at the intersection of science, politics, digital economy, and civil society, addressing ethical challenges arising from technological development and deployment.
• Next Digital Decade Publication Series Two-volume case study series examining digital transformation in Asia. Volume 1 'Traces and Divides' traces the Internet's impact on society, politics, and life in Asia. Volume 2 'Spaces and Futures' examines responses to digital transformation challenges across twelve case studies covering the future of work, AI governance, legal innovation, govtech, data governance, fintech, and cybersecurity.
• Small Books for Big Platforms Series A comparative cross-area study exploring data ecosystems and platform ecologies in the Asia-Pacific region, published in collaboration with the Professorship Aesthetics and Cultures of Technology at ArtEZ University of the Arts. Volume 1 covers Mobile Ecosystems and Volume 2 covers Data Opportunities and Challenges.
• Drones and Dreams: A Speculative Sprint Story Collection A speculative fiction collection exploring AI and technology futures from Asian perspectives, produced through a two-day writing workshop as part of the AI in Asia series.
• Future(s) of Work and Play Project and workshop series examining technology adoption, the future of workplace and labor forces, and the social implications of new technologies beyond traditional workplace focus, including AR/VR, Web 3, the future of organizations, the gig economy, and Generative AI.
• AI in Asia Past research program exploring AI innovation and entrepreneurship emerging from Asia, examining the implications of AI development for privacy, digital society, and governance across the region.
• When the Music's Over Event series examining what happens when pandemic-era technology interventions and emergency powers continue beyond the crisis, exploring surveillance, civil liberties implications, and the persistence of digital restrictions after public health emergencies subside.
• Next Digital Decade: Post-Pandemic Futures Report Research report produced from the Post-Pandemic Futures Workshop held in Singapore, bringing together researchers and academics to discuss technological, societal, economic, and political changes accelerated by the pandemic.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Chiang Mai University Faculty of Mass CommunicationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Local host partner for the 20th Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) 2023 held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This was the first time CIRC was hosted by a non-university organization.
• Ranking Digital RightsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Digital Asia Hub partnered with Ranking Digital Rights to advance corporate accountability in South-East and East-Asia by ranking selected corporate actors for their commitments to human rights.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021KAS partnered with Digital Asia Hub on The Next Digital Decade publication series, hosting joint events and workshops. KAS Political Dialogue Asia Singapore provided funding and collaborative support for case studies from Asia research initiative.
• ArtEZ University of the ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Published Small Books for Big Platforms series in collaboration with the Professorship Aesthetics and Cultures of Technology at ArtEZ University of the Arts. Knowledge partner for the Platform Futures program.
• Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Digital Asia Hub was incubated by the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University, establishing foundational credibility and research methodology. The Hub serves as a node of the Center's larger Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC).
• Academic, Civil Society, and Private Sector PartnerscoreOthersIncubated by a diverse group of academic, civil society, and private sector partners who provide support and expertise for the Hub's research and knowledge sharing activities.
• Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC)coreOthersThe Hub serves as a node of this larger network of academic organizations, contributing to and benefiting from the global network of Internet and society research centers.
• Platform Futures Expert NetworkmajorOthersA network of academics and experts studying multiple aspects of platforms across the Asia-Pacific region, contributing to dialogues on opportunities, challenges, and governance best practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Access Now: International digital rights non-profit working on internet freedom, platform governance, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a mission-aligned digital rights organization that combines research with multi-stakeholder convening.
• Future of Privacy Forum: Non-profit think tank producing research and convening multi-stakeholder dialogue on data privacy and emerging technology. Comparable model of independent research output plus stakeholder convening, though with a global rather than Asia-specific focus.
• ARTICLE 19: Global freedom of expression organization with research and advocacy arms focused on digital rights and platform governance. Operates regional programs in Asia and overlaps with Digital Asia Hub's digital rights and platform accountability mandate.
• Centre for Internet and Society (CIS): India-based non-profit think tank conducting interdisciplinary research on Internet, digital policy, and society — structurally and thematically the closest peer, with comparable scale and similar mission to Digital Asia Hub.
• Citizen Lab: Munk School of Global Affairs at University of Toronto research lab investigating digital surveillance, platform governance, and internet policy — directly comparable research focus on Internet-and-society issues, with a global rather than Asia-specific lens.
• Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society: Harvard-based research center that incubated Digital Asia Hub and is the founding node of the same Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC). Operates in the identical Internet-and-society research category with a global rather than Asia-Pacific geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS): German political foundation and direct funder of Digital Asia Hub's Next Digital Decade series. Operates broader democracy/governance programming but is a peer in the policy research and Asia digital governance space.

Emerging players

• Ranking Digital Rights (RDR): Research project that ranks corporate digital rights practices and a direct partnership counterparty on the Hub's Ranking Digital Rights project. Operates a narrower corporate-accountability mandate but in the same digital-rights research space.
• Singapore Management University – Centre for AI and Data Governance: Singapore-based academic research center focused on AI and data governance. Operates in the same Asia-Pacific digital policy research category as Digital Asia Hub, with stronger institutional university backing.

Others

• Global Network of Internet & Society Centers (NoC): The wider network of academic centers of which Digital Asia Hub is a node. Related as the umbrella ecosystem rather than a competitive peer, but relevant context for understanding the Hub's research-network positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/digitalasiahub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digital-asia-hub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Digital Asia Hub