Asia

APC at the 2022 Asia Pacific Regional IGF: Promoting a community-led internet
APC at the 2022 Asia Pacific Regional IGF: Promoting a community-led internet 26 August 2022 Leila Nachawati Rego

APC will be joining APrIGF with a focus on empowering new voices, responding to a changing digital rights environment and promoting community networks as an access solution. 

Local Access: Can community networks help people to harness the power of digital tools?
Local Access: Can community networks help people to harness the power of digital tools? 24 August 2022 APCNews

Welcome to the 50th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives. This month, we look at innovative community-centred connectivity models that enable communication while strengthening self-determination, and much more.

How the economically marginalised navigate digital adoption in India amid the pandemic
How the economically marginalised navigate digital adoption in India amid the pandemic 23 August 2022 Vaishnavi and Anish Mishra

The push for digitisation during the pandemic – whether for health management or to keep daily activities going amid lockdowns – deepened the digital divide in India, since escalated digital adoption without adequate policy protections can exclude the already marginalised even more.

Vietnam’s Zalo Connect: Digital authoritarianism in peer-to-peer aid platforms
Vietnam’s Zalo Connect: Digital authoritarianism in peer-to-peer aid platforms 22 August 2022 Trang Le

The Zalo Connect app in Vietnam connects users in need with private donors. But in doing so, it exemplifies a humanitarian trend that centres on extracting data from vulnerable communities as a precondition to receiving aid, protection and justice.

Digital technologies in the abortion rights movement
Digital technologies in the abortion rights movement 18 August 2022 Shruti Arora for GenderIT.org

In light of the illegal status of safe abortion, abortion seekers turn to the internet to access credible related information. Shruti Arora discusses how women in India and Poland challenge the abortion ban, and how online resources help them seek authentic information for safe abortion.

In Sri Lanka, state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent taint COVID-19 response
In Sri Lanka, state-sponsored disinformation and suppression of dissent taint COVID-19 response 10 August 2022 Harindrini Corea

The Sri Lankan government has capitalised on the COVID-19 pandemic to further its authoritarian agenda, using digital technologies to reinforce a climate of fear and censorship.

PeduliLindungi: To care for and protect?
PeduliLindungi: To care for and protect? 04 August 2022 Siti Rochmah Desyana

In Indonesia, the PeduliLindungi app has become synonymous with the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet it poses an unprecedented threat while leaving citizens with little recourse to protect their data. This article is part of the "Pandemic of Control" series by EngageMedia and CommonEdge.

A case for community networks
A case for community networks 01 August 2022 Shafali Jain

Internet user growth is slowing and varied attempts to address the problem of access – through traditional telecom models, private sector initiatives, state-led measures, philanthropy – have met with limited success. We must rethink how networks are built, owned, operated and utilised, and empowering local communities is key to this.

Local Access: Women cultivating community networks
Local Access: Women cultivating community networks 28 July 2022 APCNews

Welcome to the 49th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives. In this edition, find out more about women's engagement in community networks in Africa and much more.

The case of selective morality, sexist laws and online censorship in Pakistan
The case of selective morality, sexist laws and online censorship in Pakistan 27 July 2022 Hija Kamran for GenderIT.org

Internet censorship in the name of morality in Pakistan is rampant, and the trend continues to grow as new laws and regulations are introduced. But just a cursory look at this trend reveals that the censorship is not just vague, but also sexist, targeting women's expression and experiences online.

« Go back