Online Freedom of Expression

[Myanmar] Facebook ramps up ban on hate mongers’ accounts

2019/02/082019/02/08 Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Access to Information, disinformation, fake news, hate speech, Online Freedom of Expression

Social media giant Facebook has banned four more groups, which it described as “dangerous organizations” based on their verified use of the platform to incite violence and attacks on civilians in Myanmar.

The Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Kachin Independence Army, and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) were taken down Tuesday, 5 February 2019, and prevented from using Facebook’s services to “fuel tension on the ground.”

Advocacy Features Myanmar Reports

[Myanmar] Dismal state of free expression today’s reality under NLD-led gov’t

2019/02/022019/02/08 Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Free expression, Freedom of Expression, journosafe, Media Freedom, Online Freedom of Expression, press freedom, Safety of Journalists

In its latest report on free speech, “Dashed Hopes: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Myanmar,” the Human Rights Watch (HRW) outlined the current civic space for journalists and civil society in the country. While laws that criminalize free speech and defamation were enacted by previous administrations in Myanmar, the NLD government whose de facto leader is Aung San Suu Kyi, once known as the country’s icon of democracy, has made no progress in repealing or amending these laws, said the report released on 31 January 2019.

Alerts Monitoring Philippines

[Philippines] Cyber attacks continue against alternative news website

2019/01/302019/02/08 Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Cyber Attack, digital rights, digital security, journosafe, Media Freedom, Online Freedom of Expression, press freedom, Safety of Journalists

Alternative media organization Bulatlat.com reported receiving continuous denial-of-service (DoS) attacks from 19 to 29 January 2019, which brought the website down for several days.

Advocacy Features Regional

Dire state of freedom of expression in SEA mirrors global trend

2019/01/192019/02/21 Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Access to Information, campaign and elections, Elections, Free expression, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, journosafe, Media Freedom, Online Freedom of Expression, press freedom, Safety of Journalists

The continuing rise of autocratic forces across the globe weakened checks and balances for democracy such as free media, civic groups, and an independent judiciary in 2018 – and Southeast Asia was no exception. These are documented in the newly released World Report 2019 of the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Advocacy Cambodia

[Cambodia] Civil Society Rejects Government Attack on Freedom of Expression

2018/06/092018/06/13 seapa Online Freedom of Expression

Joint statement of 117 Cambodian civil society organizations on the latest inter-ministerial proclamation on “illegal” online posts We, the undersigned

Advocacy Cambodia Malaysia Myanmar Publications Thailand

Unshackling expression – A study on laws criminalising expression online in Asia

2018/04/242018/04/25 Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Online Freedom of Expression

In this special edition of GISWatch, APC brings together analysis on the criminalisation of online expression from six Asian states: Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand.

Indonesia Reports

Internet policy and implementation

2016/05/192018/04/19 seapa Online Freedom of Expression

A survey conducted by Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII) in collaboration with Communication Research Center, University of Indonesia reveals

Reports Singapore

From heavy-handed to a calibrated approach

2016/05/192018/04/19 seapa Online Freedom of Expression

Online Freedom of Expression in Singapore by ANG Peng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore[1] Key Laws/Policies Affecting Online Free Expression

Advocacy Malaysia Reports