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Philippines Facebook page which had around 2.3 million followers and 960,000 likes also disappeared publicly265. However, the suspension of SMNI broadcasts sparked a debate on whether the NTC order is a threat to media freedom in the country266. The concern arises from the politicized nature of the MTRCB suspension order stemming from alleged false information about the House Speaker, Martin Romualdez, who is Marcos Jr.’s cousin. Badoy and Celiz’s program claimed that Romualdez spent about 1.8 billion pesos for travel expenses267. In response, the House of Representatives instructed its panel on legislative franchises to “immediately” investigate SMNI268. 4. Threats Against Critics and Political Opposition The information disorder in the Philippines carries serious consequences on human rights and democracy in the country. The widely condemned red-tagging campaign, 265 266 267 268 269 270 which gained international attention during the Duterte presidency, continues under the administration of Marcos Jr. The campaign targets critics who are publicly branded as communists leading to various forms of harassment, attacks, and even murder.269. The enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Law in 2020 bolstered the campaign. The law authorizes warrantless arrest, prolonged detention without charges, and confiscation of the property of a person or group designated as a “terrorist”. After the law took effect, the Anti-Terrorism Council was established, and there have been cases in which activists have been falsely branded as terrorists270. To overturn false charges, some activists filed petitions for the court to overturn their terrorist designation, with some winning their cases. However, it is quite complicated and challenging to hold perpetrators of redtagging accountable for their potentially deadly accusations. Many victims do not have the means to sue the perpetrators in Baizas, Gaby. “SMNI News Facebook Page Disappears.” RAPPLER, 15 Sept. 2023, www.rappler.com/ technology/social-media/smni-news-facebook-page-unavailable-september-2023. Buan, Lian. “SMNI’s Suspension Splits Opinion on Free Speech.” RAPPLER, 22 Dec. 2023, www.rappler.com/ philippines/smni-suspension-splits-opinion-free-speech. Lazaro, Jacob. “SMNI Fights Suspension, Hits NTC ‘Abuse of Power’.” INQUIRER.net, 29 Dec. 2023, newsinfo.inquirer.net/1880830/smni-fights-suspension-hits-ntc-abuse-of-power. Valmonte, Kaycee. “House to Investigate SMNI for Spreading Disinformation on Romualdez’s Travels.” RAPPLER, 28 Nov. 2023, www.rappler.com/philippines/house-investigation-smni-misinformationromualdez-travels. Lalu, Gabriel Pabico. “CHR, Facebook Asked to Probe Red-tagging Online, Spread of Dummy Accounts.” INQUIRER.net, 9 June 2020, newsinfo.inquirer.net/1288737/chr-facebook-asked-to-probe-red-tagging-onlinespread-of-dummy-accounts. “Activists Cheer as Baguio Court Resumes Hearing on Anti-Terrorist Label Petition.” RAPPLER, 11 Mar. 2024, www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/activists-cheer-baguio-court-resumes-hearing-anti-terrorist-labelpetition. 73

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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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