OPTF has published a new report identifying the key digital threats that human rights defenders (HRDs) from Africa, MENA, South Asia, and Southeast Asia are facing today. EngageMedia is among the key collaborators in this research, connecting OPTF with activists and civil society organisations in the Asia-Pacific.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred on existing debates and developments on users’ privacy, government surveillance, and data monetisation. But what do all these mean for the Asia-Pacific? EngageMedia chats with Mishi Choudhary, founder of SFLC.in, on how recent events are affecting the region, and how we can boost our voices and influence the tech space.
Since July 2020, the independent news organisation New Naratif has been under attack by the Singaporean government in for allegedly breaking the Parliamentary Elections Act by boosting elections-related Facebook posts containing during the previous Singaporean election. New Naratif has stated that, “the Prime Minister’s Office is abusing the law to attack us as part of a long-standing campaign of intimidation and harassment”.
This statement by civil society organisations in Myanmar was originally published in Free Expression Myanmar, a Coconet community member, on February 11, 2021. It has been republished here with permission. For more timely updates on #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar, check out and follow the Twitter accounts of Coconet members Free Expression Myanmar and Myanmar ICT for Development Organisation (MIDO).
Free Expression Myanmar analyses how and why the military’s draft Cyber Security Law poses risks to human and digital rights to the people of Myanmar.
In the last of our video blog series on artificial intelligence (AI) and Southeast Asia, EngageMedia interviews 5G researcher Melinda Martinus on how the different 5G providers in the region – whether from China or outside Asia – can influence the AI technologies that will be powered by it.
In support of the people of Myanmar protesting against the human and digital rights violations by the military, civil society organisations working in Myanmar or on Myanmar issues have published on Gitlab a list of digital security and safety resources in the Burmese language.
As protests in Myanmar continue to swell, and more dissidents are arrested and threatened, it’s likely for the military to again violate digital rights and order internet shutdowns or hinder access to social media platforms and other communications networks. It is a tactic we have seen – and continue to see – being deployed by governments in the Asia-Pacific.
The Mozilla Foundation has published its annual Internet Health Report, which explores what it means for the internet to be healthy through research and stories in publications. Two of EngageMedia’s staff are featured in the 2020 report, which asked 100 individuals about how to work towards a healthier Internet for all.