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Harapan, led by Anwar Ibrahim. PAS narratives emphasizing race and religion were deployed into the 2023 state elections as well. Likewise, TikTok videos also played a crucial role for PAS in both elections14. Despite what happened in Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia, social media played a different role during the Thailand and Cambodia elections in 2023. In Thailand, the real digital battleground was on X (previously called Twitter), between the supporters of the Pheu Thai Party and the Move Forward Party (MFP). The two parties were both opposition parties during the government of Prayuth Chan-o-Cha, but their supporters turned against each other during the campaign. Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who is believed to be the de facto leader of Pheu Thai, also accused the MFP of hiring a cyber army to disseminate disinformation that Pheu Thai was making a secret deal with the military proxy parties15. Eventually, Thaksin’s claim turned out to be false as Pheu Thai did form a government with pro-military parties. 14 15 16 17 18 19 In Cambodia, meanwhile, Facebook is still the dominant social media platform. The main actor behind the manipulation of content is former Prime Minister Hun Sen himself who is an avid Facebook user. The dictator, who ruled the country for 38 years, was also accused in 2016 of buying followers16. However, because his use of Facebook included incitements to violence against the opposition, the Facebook Oversight Board, a semi-independent board set up by Meta, the company who owns Facebook to adjudicate on controversial content, recommended to suspend Hun Sen’s account. However, before this could happen, Hun Sen decided to leave the platform 17 . He moved to TikTok and Telegram, but these platforms did not provide the same level of engagement that he usually received from Facebook. Later, the company decided to overturn the Oversight Board’s decision, and Hun Sen’s account was reactivated three weeks after he announced that he was moving to the alternative platforms 18,19 . In the 2023 general election, a state-sponsored cyber Sipalan, Joseph, and Hadi Azmi. “Malaysia’s PAS Takes to TikTok as It Seeks a Repeat of General Election Success in State Polls.” South China Morning Post, 10 July 2023, www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/ article/3226948/malaysias-pas-takes-tiktok-repeat-its-general-election-success-state-polls. “Thaksin Praises Move Forward Disruptors.” Bangkok Post, 17 May 2023, www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ politics/2572640/thaksin-praises-move-forward-disruptors. “Cambodian PM Hun Sen Denies Buying Facebook Likes.” BBC News, 18 Mar. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/ world-asia-35839701. Cheang, Sopheng, and Grant Peck. “Cambodian Leader Hun Sen, a Huge Facebook Fan, Says He Is Jumping Ship to Telegram.” AP News, 28 June 2023, apnews.com/article/cambodia-hun-sen-facebook-telegramsocial-media-a6754cc932bcba75db6669f234812bbd. “Oversight Board Overturns Meta’s Decision in “Cambodian Prime Minister” Case.” Oversight Board, 29 June 2023, www.oversightboard.com/news/656303619335474-oversight-board-overturns-meta-s-decisionin-cambodian-prime-minister-case. Cheang, Sopheng, and Grant Peck. “Cambodia’s Leader Returns to Facebook Weeks After an Acrimonious Breakup with the Platform.” AP News, 20 July 2023, apnews.com/article/hun-sen-facebook-telegramsocial-media-ddc11bfbcdf4d67c1a564cb226ce46ce. 13

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Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

Report

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Language

English

Topic

Digital Rights
Digital Surveillance
Information Operation
Internet Connectivity / Accessibility
Internet Restrictions

Author(s)

DigitalReach

Date Published: Aug 6, 2024

Abstract: It is undeniable that information technology has significantly impacted human rights and democracy these days. Different governments around Southeast Asia continually attempt to control digital space through, for example, using repressive laws and regulations, forcing social media platforms to follow their orders, and using spyware and similar technology to surveil critics. In Southeast Asia, democracy and human rights have deteriorated because of these attempts, especially for countries under authoritarian regimes.

In order to better understand the situation, DigitalReach publishes annual reports to present and analyze the events and trends around the region. The 2023 annual report analyzes the digital rights situation in eight countries across Southeast Asia—namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam–from January 2023 to December 2023, with glimpses of key updates into 2024, given the timing of its release.

The report format has been changed completely from the previous years. In order to more systematically present the developments observed, the report is organized into three key areas: (1) Legal and Policy Developments, (2) Information Control and Manipulation, and (3) Threats Against Critics and Political Opposition.

From a regional perspective, legal and policy developments in countries that are known to restrict human rights are still mainly about using or coming up with new policies to further suppress human rights in the digital sphere. Countries considered to be more democratic also attempt to change or repeal their laws, but still without a clear sign of improvement toward digital rights.

In terms of information control and manipulation, social media platforms continue to be deployed for political ends, with different platforms serving a specific purpose for each country. The shift toward short video format, TikTok in particular, continued from 2022 to contribute toward information disorder, especially during election periods. The use of video shorts is important when targeting young voters, who played an important role in determining election results in Thailand and Indonesia this year like they did in the Philippines and Malaysia in 2022. State-sponsored cyber armies were also documented, while some governments preferred to assert more effective control of social media platforms. Other important methods related to the flow of information include suppression of media freedom and internet disruptions, which are particularly severe in Myanmar following the 2021 coup.

Judicial harassment is a key form of threat used against critics and political opposition in 2023. It is still common for people in Southeast Asia to be thrown in jail for what they say or do online. Others who do not subscribe to the government’s ideology face online harassment from state-sponsored cyber armies or government supporters. In terms of surveillance, 5 out of 8 countries included in this report have been found to have or are likely to have spyware technology.

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2023-Annual-Report-FINAL-1.pdf
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Myanmar Internet Project

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Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

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