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defend the community114. The protests were against the construction of the Bener Dam and andesite stone mining projects that would greatly affect their livelihood. The dam and mining ventures were part of the government’s Strategic National Projects (PSN), but would deprive smallholder farmers of about 600 hectares of land that their communities have tilled for generations. The restriction was viewed as an attempt by the government to contain information about violent actions of the police against the villagers115. Pro-government narratives were also employed to counter the Wadas villagers’ opposition to the construction plans116, 117. Government reportedly used coordinated information operations through “buzzers”, the local term for persons or teams who propagate these narratives. The strategic deployment of state-affiliated buzzers reportedly aims to protect the government policies and initiatives from criticism 118. 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 Buzzers were also documented to have been used in other political situations, including during the controversy surrounding the new Criminal Code in December 2022, and in the April 2022 demonstrations against the possibility of Jokowi’s running for an unconstitutional third term119. A leaked internal directive also ordered the police to launch “counter-narratives” and “cyber patrols” on social media to mobilize public opinion against the mass protests on the Omnibus Law in 2020120. The local news magazine Tempo reported in 2020 that it had found many leads indicating the hiring of buzzers to propagate several government narratives. Jokowi’s brother-in-law, Andi Wibowo is believed to lead one of the social media teams in these operations. According to Tempo, one of the approaches used is to publish articles across a number of platforms using both anonymous and identifiable social media accounts121. “AJI-LBH Pers Duga Pelambatan Internet Wadas demi Tutupi Kekerasan.” CNN Indonesia, 9 Feb. 2022, cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20220209211143-20-757251/aji-lbh-pers-duga-pelambatan-internetwadas-demi-tutupi-kekerasan. Ibid. Kunto, Nisya. “As Indonesia’s Elections Approach, Buzzers Jeopardise Democracy.” Southeast Asia Globe, 16 Mar. 2023, southeastasiaglobe.com/indonesia-election-buzzers. “Muhammadiyah Sebut Ada Buzzer Bekerja Non-Stop Dibalik Proyek Wadas Yang Bermasalah Hukum Dan Melanggar HAM.” ERA.id, 26 Apr. 2022, era.id/daerah/93255/muhammadiyah-sebut-ada-buzzerbekerja-non-stop-dibalik-proyek-wadas-yang-bermasalah-hukum-dan-melanggar-ham. Kunto, Nisya. “As Indonesia’s Elections Approach, Buzzers Jeopardise Democracy.” Southeast Asia Globe, 16 Mar. 2023, southeastasiaglobe.com/indonesia-election-buzzers. Ibid. Timmerman, Antonia. “Omnibus Law: Indonesian Police Launch ‘Cyber Patrols’ as Protesters Coordinate Mass Action.” South China Morning Post, 7 Oct. 2020, www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104412/ indonesians-begin-protests-against-omnibus-jobs-law-amid-online. “President’s In-law Allegedly Linked to Pro-govt Influencers.” TEMPO.CO, 31 Aug. 2020, en.tempo.co/ read/1381150/presidents-in-law-allegedly-linked-to-pro-govt-influencers. 40

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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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