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Indonesia In 2020, Indonesian Corruption Watch also reported that government digital activities expanded quickly after 2016, with single procurements worth around 40,000 USD. Digital procurements from 2014 to 2020 were at 7.8 billion USD, including 5.8 million USD claimed to be allocated for influencers, buzzers, or other key opinion leaders 122. Despite these reports, the government has denied the use of buzzers to manipulate information, although it admitted to using “influencers for positive purposes” such as to amplify its policies123. In the lead up to the 2024 elections, the use of buzzers among candidates are more difficult to prove, even if online trolling has become more visibly active124. It is reported that buzzers have become increasingly diverse to include campaign volunteer groups, political consultants, survey institutions, advertising companies, independent marketers, community organizations, bloggers, and small teams within political parties. 122 123 124 125 126 The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) raised concern about polarizing narratives during the election campaign, especially those related to race, religion, and ethnicity, popularly referred to by Indonesian acronym SARA. The agency stated that they would work with other government agencies and social media platforms to take down such content, and perpetrators would also be prosecuted under the ITE law125. The use of artificial intelligence was a highlight in the lead up to the 2024 election. In particular, the campaign of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto utilized an AI-generated character called “gemoy”, a caricature of a cuddly, dancing grandfather. The image was aimed to change his image from that of a brutal military general accused of grave human rights violations during the Suharto regime. Prabowo is believed to be a key figure in the abductions of human rights activists. He was also the commander of the army’s Special Forces Unit linked to a mass murder incident during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor (1975-1999)126. His gemoy videos went viral on social media platforms, particularly on Kunto, Nisya. “As Indonesia’s Elections Approach, Buzzers Jeopardise Democracy.” Southeast Asia Globe, 16 Mar. 2023, southeastasiaglobe.com/indonesia-election-buzzers. “Presidential Staff: Govt Does Not Organize Buzzers, Only Influencers.” TEMPO.CO, 2 Sept. 2020, en.tempo. co/read/1381894/presidential-staff-govt-does-not-organize-buzzers-only-influencers. Burgess, Annika, and Hellena Souisa. “Inside the World of Indonesia’s Social Media ‘Buzzers’ Cashing in From Pushing 2024 Election Propaganda.” ABC News, 20 Jan. 2024, www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-20/ political-buzzers-indonesia-election-misinformation-social-media/103298530. Daeng, Mohamad Final. “Social Media Most Prone to Politicization of SARA, Bawaslu: Perpetrators Can Be Traced.” KOMPAS.id, 10 Oct. 2023, www.kompas.id/baca/english/2023/10/10/en-medsos-palingrawan-politisasi-sara-bawaslu-pelaku-bisa-dilacak. Syamsudin, Ahmad. “Accused of Atrocities, Fired From Army, Elected President: Prabowo’s Unlikely Rise.” Benar News, 14 Feb. 2024, www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/prabowo-subiantoprofile-new-president-02142024141502.html. 41

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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

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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Myanmar Internet Project

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Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

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