Asia

Democracy is dying in digital darkness
Democracy is dying in digital darkness 03 April 2023 Vasundhara Sirnate and Gaurav Jain

Last year saw the highest number of internet shutdowns ever recorded. Such enforced digital darkness is a slippery slope of easy authoritarianism that we see spreading globally, one that countries like India, with the world's highest number of shutdowns, are using to gain undemocratic compliance from their citizens.

Community networks newsletter: From recognition to action
Community networks newsletter: From recognition to action 30 March 2023 APCNews

Around the world, communities are building alternatives to bridge the digital divide. And their contribution has been recognised recently: in this edition, we can discover tangible examples. Welcome to the 56th monthly round-up of developments impacting your community-based initiatives.

Bodily autonomy and censorship: Snippets from South Asia
Bodily autonomy and censorship: Snippets from South Asia 03 March 2023 Seerat Khan for GenderIT.org

The overregulation of women's and gender-diverse folks' bodies in South Asian culture has found its way into online spaces and heavily polices how bodily autonomy is expressed and regarded. Seerat Khan discusses barriers to this autonomy and their impact on self-expression.

Interview with CIJ (Part II): “Hate speech numbers alone will not do, we need to contextualise the stories within the numbers”
Interview with CIJ (Part II): “Hate speech numbers alone will not do, we need to contextualise the stories within the numbers” 15 February 2023 Zana Fauzi

In part two of our interview with the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Malaysia, about their innovative hate speech monitoring tool, we dive deeper into the nuances and challenges of hate speech, biases both algorithmic and human, as well the as the possibilities for civil society and citizens to fight hate speech.

Interview with CIJ (Part I): “It’s scary that young, first-time voters are grappling to shape their political beliefs and what they are able to hold on to is hate”
Interview with CIJ (Part I): “It’s scary that young, first-time voters are grappling to shape their political beliefs and what they are able to hold on to is hate” 13 February 2023 Zana Fauzi

This is part one of our interview with the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Malaysia, about their innovative hate speech monitoring project, launched ahead of the recent national elections in the country. As the project gears up to monitor another six state elections, we discussed the tool's origins and processes, resulting trends and insights and ways ...

Digital waves of hate: The struggle continues for Pakistan’s transgender community
Digital waves of hate: The struggle continues for Pakistan’s transgender community 09 February 2023 Zainab Durrani for GenderIT.org

The transgender community in Pakistan has constantly been subjected to persecution and violence hindering their participation in "normal" life. This violence has increasingly been mirrored in the digital world, with a plethora of hashtag campaigns aimed at damaging the community's struggles.

Community networks newsletter: More than digital inclusion
Community networks newsletter: More than digital inclusion 26 January 2023 APCNews

This first newsletter of 2023 features stories of important milestones from the community networks movement: diverse community initiatives flourishing in Asia, organisations seeding change around the world, the completion of the first-ever School of Community Networks in South Africa and more.

Access denied: Gender digital divide as a form of violence in South and Southeast Asia
Access denied: Gender digital divide as a form of violence in South and Southeast Asia 16 December 2022 Various contributors for GenderIT.org

This new GenderIT.org edition collects stories of women and LGBTIQA+ individuals and communities from South and Southeast Asia discussing the impact of the gender digital divide and how they respond to the challenges and barriers.

Rethinking technologies. Dreaming collectively at DWeb
Rethinking technologies. Dreaming collectively at DWeb 07 December 2022 Dana Beltrán Barbosa and María Alvarez Malvido

DWeb Camp was a place to share questions, experiences, concerns and joys regarding our relation to technologies. People from diverse walks of life had the opportunity and privilege to give ourselves the time and place to get together and weave ideas towards the decentralisation of the internet.

Towards digital authoritarianism in Nepal: Surveillance, data collection, and online repression
Towards digital authoritarianism in Nepal: Surveillance, data collection, and online repression 05 December 2022 Samik Kharel

The government’s COVID-19 response opened the door to various threats to human and digital rights. With the influence of its neighbours with poor rights records, Nepal must decide on its own path if it envisions a democratic digital ecosystem.

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