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Vietnam content remit378. Zing News covers a wide range of topics and is run by the Vietnam Publishing Association, an NGO which does not receive any government funding379. Another example of how the government controlled the press is when it ordered media outlets nationwide to remove news coverage about the death of Dang Tien, a well-known author and poet who passed away in April 2023. Dang was a member of the Independent Literature Association’s Advocacy Committee (ILAAC), an organization that the government claims to be “anticommunist.”380 State media has reported that the ILAAC is an illegal organization established by those who oppose the CPV and the government381. The Vietnamese government also has a notorious reputation of how it wants social media platforms to operate in the country. Vietnam is among the countries with highest numbers of social media users, and is seen as lucrative market. In 2020, the government allegedly took the server of 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 Facebook offline to pressure the company to increase censorship of “anti-state” narratives. Facebook later had to comply382. Before this event, the government also threatened to file a lawsuit against the company in 2019 for violating the Cybersecurity Law for allowing “slanderous content, anti-government sentiment and libel and defamation of individuals, organizations and state agencies.”383 Facebook, which renamed itself to Meta in 2021, has been documented on many occasions by media for practices that consistently aid the communist government. In 2023, the Washington Post reported that the company has an internal list of CPV officials that should not be criticized on Facebook. The report also revealed guidelines shaped by Vietnamese authorities on how the platform should operate to control online content384. Vietnam’s Decree 53 also caused Meta to tighten its content moderation even more385. Luong, Dien Nguyen An. “Vietnam’s Suspension of Online Magazine: When Even the Compliant Are Not Safe.” FULCRUM, 21 July 2023, fulcrum.sg/vietnams-suspension-of-online-magazine-when-even-the-compliantare-not-safe. “Vietnamese Online News Outlet to Go Dark After Government Inspection Report.” Radio Free Asia, 13 July 2023, www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/zing-news-07132023150345.html. “Vietnam Orders Media to Scrub All Content About Prominent Writer’s Death.” Radio Free Asia, 21 Apr. 2023, www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/dang-tien-04212023182318.html. Ibid. Pearson, James. “Exclusive: Facebook Agreed to Censor Posts After Vietnam Slowed Traffic - Sources.” Reuters, 22 Apr. 2020, www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN2232K2. Russell, Jon. “Vietnam Threatens to Penalize Facebook for Breaking Its Draconian Cybersecurity Law.” TechCrunch, 9 Jan. 2019, techcrunch.com/2019/01/09/vietnam-threatens-to-penalize-facebook. Tan, Rebecca. “Facebook Helped Bring Free Speech to Vietnam. Now It’s Helping Stifle It.” Washington Post, 19 June 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/19/facebook-meta-vietnam-government-censorship. Ibid. 103

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Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

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Language

English

Topic

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

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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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