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election campaign, some female candidates were repeated victims of online disinformation and hate speech that aim to destroy their election bids. For example, a photoset of a woman in orange lingerie that went viral during the campaign period was claimed to be of Rukchanok Srinok, a constituency candidate of the Move Forward Party (MFP). Upon fact-checking, the person in the photo was revealed to be a professional lingerie model who is a supporter of MFP39. In the Philippines, activists are still targets of red-tagging, which brands them as communist rebels. The campaign was intensified during the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, leading to harassment, arrest, persecution, or even murder. Redtagging continues during the Marcos Jr. administration. In some cases, the victims sue the red-taggers. However, this is not an option that every victim can take, because it requires having adequate financial 39 40 41 42 resources to do so. Online attackers are also often anonymous which makes it more challenging to hold them accountable. Following the discovery of the use of spyware against activists in Thailand in 2022, more countries in the region have been reported to purchase or possess similar technology, even though verification of spyware use has not been conclusive. Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, alluded to having confidential information about the plans of opposition politicians40. The Myanmar military junta has also been reported to likely possess spyware technology as it was discovered that the previous civilian government reportedly purchased the intercept spyware, Cognyte, shortly before the 2021 coup.41. The Vietnam government has also been alleged to use a European-made spyware called Predator to spy on foreign lawmakers and journalists reportedly to gain insights regarding their political stances on China and other issues in Asia42. Itthipongmaetee, Chayanit. “Woman in Lingerie Is Freelance Thai Model, Not Young Politician From Move Forward Party.” AFP Fact Check, 18 May 2023, factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33FC3TB. Idrus, Pizaro Gozali. “Whistle-blower: Indonesia May Have Used Israeli Malware to Spy on Political Opponents.” Benar News, 12 June 2023, www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/israeli-spyware-used-bystate-agencies-06122023115033.html. “Reported Spyware Deal Implicates Israeli Firm in Myanmar Junta’s Crimes, Critics Say.” Radio Free Asia, 23 Jan. 2023, www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/spyware-01232023164144.html. Menn, Joseph, et al. “Vietnam Tried to Hack U.S. Officials, CNN With Posts on X, Probe Finds.” Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/09/vietnam-predator-hack-investigation. 19

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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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