Previous 12 / 111 Next

occupation of East Timor from 1975 to 1999, specifically the Kraras massacre in 1983. More than 200 individuals were reportedly killed9 in the event. He was fired from the army following the collapse of Suharto’s regime and went into self-exile before returning to Indonesia a few years later10. Prabowo unsuccessfully contested the presidential office twice in 2014 and 2019. In 2024, as he used AI for the 2024 campaign, his rebranding recalls the 2022 presidential campaign of the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which sought to whitewash the brutal history of his father’s dictatorship marked by massive corruption and serious human rights abuses. Marcos Jr.’s rebranding through social media depicted his personal side as a family man doing his hobbies. Like Indonesia, TikTok was also widely used during the Philippine campaign 11. ProMarcos narratives still continued into 2023 after he became president. Following Marcos Jr. taking presidential office, crackdown and intimidation of independent media has been less than the time of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. 9 10 11 12 13 However, a highlight in 2023 is the suspension of the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), a hyper-partisan media that often brands activists as communists or red-tagging. The case has sparked concern on whether the accusations against the channel is politically motivated as it was investigated shortly after the channel criticized the travel expenses of House of Representatives speaker, Martin Romualdez, who is Marcos Jr.’s cousin. SMNI’s claims about the travel expenses was later admitted being unverified 12, 13. The situation also indicates a likely rift between the Dutertes and the Marcoses, because SMNI’s owner, Apollo Quiboloy, is a close ally to Rodrigo Duterte. Malaysia, meanwhile, witnessed the rise of the hardline Islamist party, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS or Malaysian Islamic Party). The 2022 election saw PAS gain the most seats in its history, owing in part to its savvy use of social media in their election campaigns. The PAS campaign was full of disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech, which were mostly directed against the more progressive Pakatan Ibid. Mao, Frances. “Prabowo Subianto: The Tainted Ex-military Chief Who Will Be Indonesia’s New Leader.” BBC News, 15 Feb. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68237141. Operating the Propaganda Machine: Social Media Accountability in the 2022 Philippine Election. DigitalReach, 2023, digitalreach.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DigitalReach-Operating-the-PropagandaMachine-Social-Media-Accountability-in-the-2022-Philippine-Election-Final.pdf. Lalu, Gabriel Pabico. “House SecGen: Reports of Romualdez’s P1.8 Billion Travel Fund Are False.” Inquirer, 23 Nov. 2023, newsinfo.inquirer.net/1867186/house-secgen-reports-of-romualdezs-p1-8-billiontravel-fund-are-false. Porcalla, Delon. “SMNI Host Admits Info on Speaker’s Travel Expenses Unverified.” The Philippine Star, 1 Dec. 2023, philstar.com/headlines/2023/12/01/2315495/smni-host-admits-info-speakers-travelexpenses-unverified. 12

Select target paragraph3

● ● ●

Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

Report

Preview

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.

Link: source

Primary Documents

2023-Annual-Report-FINAL-1.pdf
English
Download View

Myanmar Internet Project

Select target paragraph3

Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

Primary Documents

Notifications