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Malaysia PAS’s successful strategy continued into the 2023 state elections, which delivered huge victories in its traditional strongholds in the Terengganu, Kelantan, and Kedah states, and made significant inroads in Penang and Selangor161. The Islamist ideology of PAS has raised fears that the country is moving towards a deterioration of human rights. The party aims to rule Malaysia based on Islamic values should it become the ruling party, as it has done in the Kelantan and Terengganu state governments. While the Anwar Ibrahim government’s struggles in the political arena seems to have increasingly shifted in his favor, his government has been a disappointment. 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 There has been limited progress in the promised reforms, while censorship intensified during his administration. In 2023, the government blocked several websites including the MalaysiaNow162, TV Pertiwi163, and UtusanTV.com164 news portals, as well as personal blogs of political critics including Raja Petra Kamarudin and Wee Choo Keong165, 166. The government denied any role in blocking of MalaysiaNow through a method known as DNS tampering, which is a form of censorship commonly used by Malaysian state agencies167. However, the MCMC itself ordered the blocking of TV Pertiwi and Utusan TV.com168, 169. TV Pertiwi’s TikTok account was also reported to have been banned permanently170. State censorship of these websites and blogs critical of the government has given rise to Harun, Hana Naz. “Pas Used Fear Tactics and TikTok in Stellar Win, Say Analysts.” NST Online, 14 Aug. 2023, www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/08/942574/pas-used-fear-tactics-and-tiktok-stellar-win-say-analysts. “Blocking of MalaysiaNow Website in Malaysia.” iMAP, 2023, imap.sinarproject.org/news/blocking-ofmalaysianow-website. Lim, Ida. “After TV Pertiwi Claims Blocked Online, MCMC Says It Must Prevent Misinformation.” Malay Mail, 18 Aug. 2023, www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/08/18/after-tv-pertiwi-claims-blockedonline-mcmc-says-it-must-prevent-misinformation/85903. “Now, UtusanTV Site Blocked As Well.” MalaysiaNow, 7 Aug. 2023, www.malaysianow.com/news/2023/08/07/ now-utusantv-site-blocked-as-well. “Another Prominent Website Blocked as Suspicion Swirls Over Govt Internet Censorship.” MalaysiaNow, 3 July 2023, www.malaysianow.com/news/2023/07/03/another-prominent-website-blocked-assuspicion-swirls-over-govt-internet-censorship. “Another Site Critical of Govt Blocked.” MalaysiaNow, 25 July 2023, www.malaysianow.com/news/2023/07/25/ another-site-critical-of-govt-blocked. “Amid Condemnation, Block Lifted From MalaysiaNow but Govt’s Press Freedom Record Takes a Dive.” MalaysiaNow, 29 June 2023, www.malaysianow.com/news/2023/06/29/amid-condemnation-block-liftedfrom-malaysianow-but-govts-press-freedom-record-takes-a-dive. Wong, Alexander. “Why Is UtusanTV Blocked by MCMC? And Are They Linked to Utusan Malaysia?” Malay Mail, 8 Aug. 2023, www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/08/08/why-is-utusantv-blocked-bymcmc-and-are-they-linked-to-utusan-malaysia/84097. Alhadjri, Alyaa. “MCMC Bans Another Online Portal, TV Pertiwi Lodges Police Report.” Malaysiakini, 18 Aug. 2023, www.malaysiakini.com/news/676165. Zulkifli, Ahmad Mustakim. “Now, TikTok Account of TV Pertiwi Blocked As Well.” MalaysiaNow, 15 Aug. 2023, www.malaysianow.com/news/2023/08/15/now-tiktok-account-of-tv-pertiwi-blocked-as-well. 51

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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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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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