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Singapore Key Developments 1. ● The government strengthened its control of online space in 2023 by enacting the Online Criminal Harms Act, which allows the government to order service providers to remove or block access to content suspected of being used to commit crimes. The law has added to Singapore’s roster of repressive internet laws. ● The Protection on Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act continued to be used regularly by the government to manage online narratives. In 2023, authorities used the law to order a number of independent media including Asia Sentinel, The Online Citizen Asia, and Jom magazine to correct their posts that the government regarded as “false”. ● 2023 was a challenging year for the ruling People’s Action Party to maintain its reputation against corruption and scandals. A video of an extra-marital affair of an opposition politician was circulated at around the same time of the scandals involving members of the ruling party. This raised concern that the move was intended to divert attention from the ruling party’s own controversies. Overview Singapore is in a transition period following the announcement of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that he would step down from his position before the 2025 election 284. Lee, who had been in office since 2004, made the announcement in November 2023, under the premise that he would do so if “all goes well”285. 284 285 The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) is notoriously known for intolerance over criticism of its performance and conduct. The authoritarian party, which has ruled Singapore continuously since the territory was expelled from Malaysia in 1965, has always tried to keep its reputation clean, owing in part to its strict control of the media. However, the rise of the internet broke its monopoly of news and information. Since then, the government has tried to similarly control online space through the adoption of a number of repressive laws, including “Singapore’s Prime Minister Plans to Step Down and Hand Over to His Deputy Before the 2025 Election.” AP News, 5 Nov. 2023, apnews.com/article/singapore-prime-minister-to-step-down-19f256ff8ee62dd1bf73e853ea9a2bd5. Ibid. 77

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Annual Report: Digital Rights in Southeast Asia 2023-2024

Report

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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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