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ASEAN Regional Coalition to #StopDigitalDictatorship 68. Voice of Democracy, Court Changes Probation Measures for Jailed Teenage Son of CNRP Official, (16 December 2022), available at: https://vodenglish. news/court-changes-probation-measures-for-jailedteenage-son-of-cnrp-official/ 69. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Cambodia: Stop backsliding and expand freedom – UN expert, (6 October 2021), available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2021/10/cambodia-stop-backsliding-and-expand-freedom-un-expert 70. CambodJA, Land rights activist flees Cambodia, saying she received death threat, (20 April 2022), available at: https://cambojanews.com/land-rightsactivist-flees-cambodia-saying-she-received-deaththreat/ 71. Global Voices, Advocate for migrant rights persists despite threats from Thai and Cambodian officials, (9 January 2024), available at: https://globalvoices. org/2024/01/09/advocate-for-migrant-rights-persists-despite-threats-from-thai-and-cambodian-officials/ 72. Open Development Cambodia, Decision on the establishment of fake news monitoring committee, (12 March 2020), available at: https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/announcements/decision-on-the-establishment-of-fake-news-monitoring-committee/ 73. Phnom Penh Post, More than 1,000 cases of fake, objectionable news identified, (19 January 2021), available at: https://www.phnompenhpost. com/national/more-1000-cases-fake-objectionable-news-identified; Khmer Times, 525 fake news found in first quarter of this year, (17 May 2021), available at: https://www.khmertimeskh. com/50857692/525-fake-news-found-in-first-quarter-of-this-year/ 74. UCA News, Cambodia expands monitoring of ‘fake news’ (28 January 2021), available at: https://www. ucanews.com/news/cambodia-expands-monitoring-of-fake-news/91186 75. Al Jazeera, ‘I used to talk about politics on Facebook, but now it’s scary’, (23 August 2018), available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/8/23/ i-used-to-talk-about-politics-on-facebook-but-nowits-scary 76. Phnom Penh Post, Info ministry found nearly 2000 cases of fake news since January, (19 December 2021), available at: https://www.phnompenhpost. com/national/info-ministry-found-nearly-2000-cases-fake-news-january 77. The Phnom Penh Post, Fake news committee logs nearly 1,400 cases in first half, (6 July 2022), available at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ fake-news-committee-logs-nearly-1400-cases-firsthalf 66 78. Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Fundamental Freedoms during the 2023 Cambodia National Election, (11 November 2023), available at: https:// cchrcambodia.org/en/publications/factsheets/fundamental-freedoms-during-the-2023-cambodia-national-election. 79. Southeast Asia Globe, Before elections, Cambodia blocks database of public information, (18 July 2023), available at: https://southeastasiaglobe.com/ before-elections-cambodia-blocks-database-of-public-information/ 80. Radio Free Asia, Hun Sen’s government orders RFA, other news outlet websites blocked, (17 May 2023), available at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/media-sites-blocked-07172023171743.html 81. Voice of AmericaNews, Cambodian Government Blocks News Sites Before Unopposed Election, (17 July 2023), available at: https:// www.voanews.com/a/cambodian-government-blocks-news-sites-before-unopposed-election-/7185151.html 82. Freedom House, The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence, (n.d.), available at: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Freedom-onthe-net-2023-DigitalBooklet.pdf 83. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Joint Declaration on media declaration and democracy, (2 May 2023), available at: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/expression/activities/2023-JD-Media-Freed om-and-Democracy.pdf 84. Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association, Government Forms Committee to Monitor Public Opinion and Promote Positive Image of Cambodia, (7 September 2023), available at : https://cambojanews.com/government-forms-committee-to-monitor-public-opinion-and-promote-positive-image-of-cambodia/ 85. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Increasing attacks on Cambodia’s media are a threat to democracy - UN human rights report, (3 August 2022), available at: https://www. ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/increasing-attacks-cambodias-media-are-threat-democracy-un-human-rights 86. Global Voices, Cambodia’s prime minister revokes licence of independent news outlet Voice of Democracy, (17 February 2023), available at: https://globalvoices.org/2023/02/17/cambodias-prime-minister-revokes-license-of-independent-news-outlet-voice-of-democracy/ Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia

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Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia March 2024

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Topic

Digital Rights
Digital Surveillance
Information Operation
Internet Restrictions

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MANUSHYA

Date Published: Mar 8, 2024

Abstract: Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia March 2024 Whether we like it or not, we are living through a pivotal moment for the future of human rights. This includes the issue of our digital rights, and the question of our online freedoms. In places like Southeast Asia, where the majority of its peoples are experiencing immense threats to their online and offline freedoms, at the hands of opportunistic governments and corporations, this is especially prevalent. The digital space has become an integral part of human life, and is still growing in its influence over our world. Accordingly, if our freedoms in the digital space are endangered, our freedoms overall are endangered as well.

It is understandable to feel powerless while possessing this knowledge. But it is not enough to just know about the forces acting against our human rights, and understand that they are dangerous. If we truly want to create a safer, more equitable, more liberated world - which we all know, deep down, is possible - we must understand these forces, and act accordingly. We must equip ourselves with knowledge about what governments, corporations, and other powers that be are doing, alongside demanding our rights to freedom. The powers that be have weaponised the online and digital space, as well as the law, against the people that these things are supposed to serve and protect. It is our right to protect ourselves with research, knowledge, advocacy, and the power of the people. When we understand the powers we are up against, fighting back will become less daunting.

This is what our report, titled Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia, is for. Join us in powering ourselves with knowledge, in order to compel ourselves to action!

As always, our work is rooted in decolonial, feminist, intersectional values, with historically marginalised people at the centre. Thus, this work was a collaboration between a coalition of groups oriented in these values: ALTSEAN-Burma, Cambodian Center for Human Rights, ELSAM, Free Expression Myanmar, Foundation for Media Alternatives, ILGA Asia, Manushya Foundation, The Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network, SAFEnet, Viet Tan, and Women’s Peace Network. What is the ASEAN Regional Coalition to #StopDigitalDictatorship? The ASEAN Regional Coalition to #StopDigitalDictatorship was established in 2020, by human rights and digital rights activists from Southeast Asia, on a mission to decolonize digital rights and restore our online democracies.

Together, we stand in solidarity with one another, with people from the Global Majority, resisting and pushing back against authoritarian governments and complicit tech companies.

We tell our realities from the ground, and we develop solutions together.

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Dawn of Digital Dictatorship: Weaponizing the Law Against Online Speech in Southeast Asia March 2024

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