C ontinuing from 2022, many countries in Southeast Asia underwent political transitions in 2023, with their digital rights situation often reflecting the respective political situations. In 2023, two countries— Thailand and Cambodia—had general elections in May and July respectively. The election in Thailand resulted in the victory of the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP). However, they could not secure the required number of votes from both houses of parliament to form the government. During the election campaign, social media platforms became the primary battlefield between supporters and opponents of the party. In Cambodia, a sham election benefited Prime Minister Hun Sen’s incumbent regime to legitimately retain power. Hun Sen stepped down from the position following the election and handed power to his eldest son, Hun Manet. The dictator also weaponized his Facebook presence to threaten the political opposition prior to the election. Indonesia began preparing for its general election in February 2024. As the campaign kicked off on November 28, 2023, artificial intelligence played a significant role in the campaign as all the presidential candidates used it as part of their election strategies. Most notable is the use of AI by Prabowo Subianto who used the technology to rebrand his image heavily tainted by his record of human rights abuses during the regime of former dictator Suharto, who is also his former father-in-law. 2023 also marked the first year in office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia. In the first year of both administrations, developments on digital rights were limited. Marcos Jr.’s administration is not as brutal as his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. However, as the Philippine president came to power by weaponizing social media to whitewash the brutal legacy of the presidency of his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the information disorder that favors him and his family continued. In Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, who was expected to initiate political reforms, by repealing the repressive Communication and Multimedia Act and the Sedition Act has been facing widespread criticism for the slow pace of reform. In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong prepared to step down after being in office since 2004. In trying to keep the ruling party’s reputation clean in preparation for the election in 2025, the government is actively regulating content on online space through the use of the notorious Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). Meanwhile, Vietnam’s internal power struggles at the top of the Communist Party since 2022 has seen the removal of several top officials, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He was ousted from his position for alleged corruption in January 2023 before Vo Van Thuong succeeded him as the 12th president in March. After a year in office, Thuong also resigned from the presidency 7