Blog

Screenshot of an online Youth Conference

How a youth group organised a fully online conference

The pandemic has impacted how civil society organisations do advocacy work, derailing weeks (or months, in our case) of planning. However, we knew we had to adapt and innovate. Instead of a physical conference, we decided to execute a fully online youth conference for April 4, 2020. And, despite less than a month of planning, we did it.

Internet Shutdown Myanmar Rakhine Arakan Chin

To fight COVID-19 in Myanmar, stop the war and internet shutdown in Arakan

The internet is a primary source of information on the global COVID-19 pandemic. But Arakan (formally known as Rakhine State) in western Myanmar is now experiencing the longest internet shutdown in the world. The internet blockage has also caused a lack of information and knowledge concerning COVID-19.

Coconet II Public Report: Growing the digital rights movement

Coconet is an Asia-Pacific regional initiative supporting changemakers to build the digital rights movement. In October 2019, Coconet II expanded the space for new changemakers: activists, journalists, artists, technologists, filmmakers, lawyers, and researchers, who represent a wide variety of social and environmental movements. Over 120 changemakers from 22 countries converged in Antipolo, Philippines, to discuss and share their knowledge on digital rights, exchange tactics and skills, and plan joint campaigns and collaborations to strengthen their respective movements as well as support broader ones.

Photo by šŸ‡ØšŸ‡­ Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash.

Fighting the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’ in the Asia-Pacific

While governments and health workers worldwide are focused on combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also busy fighting another related pandemic that cuts across all sectors of society: a massive ā€œinfodemicā€ equally as wide-reaching and harmful.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

AI as a weapon against civil and political rights

We are going to take a closer look on what can happen when AI is weaponised and used against civil and political rights (CPR) such as the right to life and self-determination, as well as individual freedoms of expression, religion, association, assembly, and so on.

Activism is not a crime

Use of Memes In Activism

By utilising humour and the shareability of memes, it becomes clear that memes can be used for the diffusion of information across the Internet because of their speed and capillarity on social media.

"Inteligencia Artificial: ECI 33 (UBA)" by Juan Pablo Dellacha is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Human Rights Concerns on Artificial Intelligence in Southeast Asia: An Overview

Despite the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in our everyday life and communications, it is still little understood by much of civil society in Southeast Asia. What exactly is AI? And what are its current applications in the region? How do we relate these new technologies with risks of human rights violations? And what are the possible advocacy strategies?

A Session at Coconet. Image by M. Bree

Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: Notes from Coconet II

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a topic that digital rights activists in the region are concerned about, but have little understanding of. At the moment, civil society has more questions than answers to the human rights implications of machine learning and massive amounts of data collected to train the machines.

Zack Lee

Security and Well-Being of Activists

“The security and well-being of activists need to be addressed both online and offline,” says Zack Lee, the Asia grant officer of Voice.

Art - What will you take home

Community and Collaboration at Coconet II

Arthit Suryawongkul from Thai Netizen Network articulates the importance of community and collaboration, and the importance of cross-movement spaces like Coconet in Southeast Asia.

Dhyta Caturani at Coconet II Camp

Solidarity is what makes the movement go on

Solidarity works. Solidarity crosses borders, solidarity crosses differences. Indonesian activist Dhyta Caturani urges everyone to grow and nurture the solidarity for successful movements across Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian Advocates Call for Release of Dinh Thao, Vietnamese Activist

Her allies on the ground reported that when Dinh Thao arrived at the airport, more than 10 security officials surrounded her and took her into an interrogation room. They have lost contact with her from that point onwards. Advocates from across Southeast Asia have are calling for her immediate release.