Exploring the Nexus between Technologies
and Human Rights
36
based on developmental angles of access and governance. It is found that Southeast
Asian digital rights work centres on addressing many of the digital rights that pertain
to conventional rights translated to digital spaces, through existing movements on civil
freedoms. There is an increasing focus in the spheres of data-centred rights and digital
governance, while work on access is shifting beyond basic Internet access and is more
concerned about the quality of access. As most of the digital rights advocates originate
from civil society rather than the tech community, technical capacity is sorely lacking,
limiting most advocacy work to awareness campaigns rather than more technical aspects
of the different spheres of digital rights, such as technical measures against cyber attacks,
or data protection from a software architectural point of view. Participation in digital
governance at a technical level, such as in the development of standards, is also difficult.
The digital rights movement studied is situated within the context of Southeast Asia and
subjected to existing social, political, and cultural contexts. Difficulties in civil society
work manifest within the microcosm of digital rights work – in the face of authoritarian
governments, tight resources within civil society, and publics that are more concerned
about economic development than rights violations. Although there is movement building
at the regional level, most of the digital rights work in the region focus on the national
level. While advocates are concerned about the transnational implications of geopolitics
and powerful tech companies based in the West, the lack of resources, networks, and
capacity limits their work in these aspects, with only a small number of familiar faces
working in the international arena.
It is hoped that this paper will provide a strong basis for future research, whether to apply
and refine the conceptual framework to other regions and localities, or as a baseline to
deepen the understanding about digital rights work in Southeast Asia. As more and more
of the world’s population joins the global networked society, protecting and upholding
digital rights will remain to be a salient issue for the foreseeable future. Perspectives and
insights from the developing world will contribute to advocacy and research to ensure a
safer, more equitable, and rights-based digital environment for all.
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