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Indonesia insults to Jokowi in 2023131, 132. Gerung’s case arose from his speech at a worker’s meeting in Bekasi City, West Java, which was uploaded on YouTube. His speech criticized Jokowi’s business trip to China seeking investments for the new capital, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan133. Jokowi supporters reported the video to authorities due to Gerung’s use of swear words that insulted the president. Madrim also reportedly became a target of disinformation on social media, where he was purported to support disbanding the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), building the Bener Dam in Central Java, and calling the National Police to arrest Haris Azhar and Fatia Malulidiyanti134. The group responsible for the disinformation has not been identified. Similarly, AJI’s Instagram account was also hacked in 2023135. Apart from judicial harassment, media and dissenters have also experienced digital attacks over the years. In 2022, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) chairperson, Sasmito Madrim, reported that his WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram accounts were hacked. Madrim received a notification that said his WhatsApp number was used to register on another device. The breach then extended to his accounts on the other two platforms, where hackers uploaded and later deleted content on his Instagram account and replaced his profile picture on Facebook with a pornographic image. In 2022, at least 25 journalists and media workers from Indonesian online news outlet Narasi were reportedly also targeted by malicious social media hacking attempts including on Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and Twitter 136. The hacking is reported to have begun in September 2022 from a WhatsApp message containing malicious links. It was reported that Akbar Wijaya, a Narasi producer, lost control of his WhatsApp account and number after following a link on a message he received. The website of Narasi was also hacked137. 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 Huda, Larissa. “Rocky Gerung Dilaporkan Pakai UU ITE Karena Diduga Hina Jokowi, Pakar: Pasalnya Sudah Dihapus.” KOMPAS.com, 3 Aug. 2023, megapolitan.KOMPAS.com/read/2023/08/03/10211071/ rocky-gerung-dilaporkan-pakai-uu-ite-karena-diduga-hina-jokowi-pakar. “Benarkah Rocky Gerung Hina Presiden Jokowi Dan Harus Dibui?” CNN Indonesial, 2 Aug. 2023, www. cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20230802075358-12-980768/benarkah-rocky-gerung-hina-presidenjokowi-dan-harus-dibui. “Picu Perselisihan Dan Keonaran Kerena ‘Hina’ Jokowi, Rocky Gerung Minta Maaf.” BBC News Indonesia, 2 Aug. 2023, www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/cg3wz6wp7nwo. “Ketum AJI Indonesia Sasmito Madrim Jadi Korban Serangan Peretasan Dan Disinformasi Halaman All.” KOMPAS.com, 24 Feb. 2022, www.KOMPAS.com/cekfakta/read/2022/02/24/123047582/ketum-ajiindonesia-sasmito-madrim-jadi-korban-serangan-peretasan-dan. “Akun Instagram Diretas, AJI Lapor Ke Polda Metro Jaya.” CNN Indonesia, 6 Sept. 2023, www.cnnindonesia. com/nasional/20230906211934-12-995755/akun-instagram-diretas-aji-lapor-ke-polda-metro-jaya. Harish, Fikri. “Indonesian Activists Deplore Latest Cyberattack as ‘Assault on Press Freedom.’” Asia News Network, 28 Sept. 2022, asianews.network/indonesian-activists-deplore-latest-cyberattack-asassault-on-press-freedom. “Narasi TV Website Hacked, Receive Threats.” TEMPO.CO, 30 Sept. 2022, en.tempo.co/read/1640330/ narasi-tv-website-hacked-receive-threats. 43

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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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Myanmar Internet Project

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Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

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