The project is based on the consideration that, in the next decade, the projected growth of the Internet should occur predominantly in Asia, Latin America, and Africa and mainly in the countries that comprise BRICS. The next billion internet users, along with the innovation and data they will produce and the policies they will need, will likely come from the BRICS nations. Given this consideration, the BRICS countries are increasing their cooperation in the science and technology fields, promoting synergies for digital policies.

As highlighted by the BRICS leaders themselves: "Information and communication technologies provide citizens with new tools for the effective functioning of the economy, society, and the State [...] and the use and development of ICTs through international cooperation and universally accepted rules and principles of international law is of paramount importance to guarantee a settled, safe, and open digital and Internet space."

Although the expansion of connectivity and the emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) have generated opportunities for individuals and companies, they also pose a series of challenges, especially in connection with the regulation of personal data and cybersecurity governance.

CyberBRICS aims to answer such challenges, providing valuable perspectives on BRICS digital policies based on rigorously collected evidence that researchers, regulators, and companies can use.

The project is sponsored by FGV Rio Law and developed in partnership with the Higher School of Economics, in Moscow, Russia, the Center for Internet and Society, in New Delhi, India, the Fudan University (Shanghai) and Hong Kong University, in China, and the University of Cape Town, in Cape Town, South Africa.