Why does cybersecurity matter for democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG)? DRG programs frequently work on politically sensitive topics, including elections, human rights, and information resilience. USAID’s partners and beneficiaries—including human rights defenders, independent media, and civil society—are often targeted because of their sensitive work. Authoritarian governments and other malign actors regularly deploy digital surveillance techniques and cyber attacks to monitor and harm key DRG players, thus cybersecurity capacity building is quickly becoming a critical element of DRG programming. Even in open, democratic spaces, cybersecurity is crucial to effective DRG programming. Cyber attacks against elections technologies, government databases, and critical infrastructure can erode public trust in USAID’s government partners.