On 1 July 2026, Prof. Dr. Bettina Schneider, Co-Head of the Competence Center Digital Trust at FHNW, presented the SwissAfricaCySec at the Third DataPro Hybrid Conference “Educating for the Future of Data” in Berlin. The conference, organised by the University of Education Freiburg as part of the international DataPro project, brought together educators, experts and project partners to discuss data protection, digital awareness and new challenges arising from digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

Her presentation, “Teaching Trust in the Age of AI: Deepfakes, Social Engineering & the New Misinformation Challenge,” explored how education can respond to an increasingly complex digital environment. A central focus was the SwissAfricaCySec approach to joint teaching as a best practice, bringing together expertise and perspectives across institutions and countries to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and digital trust.

The topic is particularly relevant to Business Information Technology, where technology and business are closely interconnected. Digital technologies do not operate in isolation: they shape how organisations communicate, make decisions, manage information and interact with customers, employees and partners. As AI-generated content, deepfakes, social engineering and misinformation become more sophisticated, future business IT professionals need not only technical skills, but also the ability to assess information critically, recognise manipulation and understand the human and organisational dimensions of cybersecurity.

This perspective reflects the broader mission of the Competence Center Digital Trust, which brings together cybersecurity & resilience, data protection, emerging technologies, digital responsibility & ethics and governance, risk & compliance to address digital trust. The SwissAfricaCySec initiative similarly connects cybersecurity education with practical and international perspectives, including the development of skills for understanding cybersecurity risks in different contexts.