Blog

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An Indonesian Guide to Choosing a Privacy-oriented Messaging App

There are a growing number of messaging applications available to us, but many of these are not transparent in the amount of user data they collect and the lack of privacy measures in place to secure our conversations. To help Indonesians better understand which messaging apps protect their users the most, Coconet member Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) has published a “Guide to Choosing a Privacy-Protecting Conversation App”.

State of the Digital Nation: The Digital Rights Report 2020

The State of the Philippine Digital Nation

The Foundation for Media Alternatives, a Coconet community member, has published a new report, “State of the Digital Nation: The Digital Rights Report 2020”, that documents how human rights were impacted by technology and digital innovations in the country. The report is based on findings from January to December 2020.

#JournalismIsNotACrime: Stand with New Naratif against harassment of independent journalists

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”.

Protesters participate in an anti-military rally in downtown Yangon

Myanmar Civil Society Statement on the draft Cyber Security Law

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).

Excerpt: “On the Use of Digital Identity in Asia”, a three-part series on digital IDs

Digital identification, or digital IDs, have become more common in Asia, with some countries even mandating its use for their citizens. Ho Ming-hsuan writes about the digital ID experiences of Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea – and lists various issues that need to be tackled before digital IDs can be adopted more thoroughly in the region.

Silencing the Media Won’t Stop the Thailand Protests

The Thai government has banned four independent media outlets and a Facebook page from generating and broadcasting any news content under the premise that these organisations pose a major threat to national security. The government’s decision to ban these groups, however, is both misleading and counterproductive.

“สิทธิดิจิทัล” คืออะไร?

“สิทธิดิจิทัล” คืออะไร? คำว่า “สิทธิมนุษยชน” มีนิยามที่ชัดเจนตามปฏิญญาสากลว่าด้วยสิทธิมนุษยชน (UDHR) และถูกนำไปประยุกต์ใช้จริงกับกฎหมายจำนวนมาก ขณะที่คำว่า “ดิจิทัล” “เทคโนโลยี” หรือ “อินเทอร์เน็ต” ยังคงเป็นที่ถกเถียง ถูกตีความอย่างกว้างขวางและหลากหลายกว่า

Call for solidarity: How the international community can show support for Thai protesters

Today, on the anniversary of the 2006 Thai coup, protesters will once again gather at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, to call for political changes and democratic reforms. Students as young as 14 years old have been at the forefront of the protests, with some groups demanding ten key reforms, among them the revocation of the lese-majeste law and the pardoning of all those jailed due to this law.

Activism is not a crime

Statement: Drop charges against students protesting the Myanmar internet shutdown

Maung Saungkha and Kyaw Lynn are members of the Coconet community. Prior to his July 27 sentencing, Kyaw Lynn had published on Coconet.social articles on how the Myanmar internet shutdown is contributing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s attempts to censor information on the Arakan (Rakhine) conflicts. Both members were arrested for participating in protests against the internet shutdown in Rakhine and Chin states, currently the longest shutdown in the world.