Raman Jit Singh Chima

As parliaments across Asia convene, governments continue pushing deeply flawed laws and policies, while relegating digital rights to the sidelines. Here’s what’s happening in India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, and why members of parliament must take action to protect our rights before any more damage is done.  

This year we should have seen a strong, user-focused Data Protection Law enacted in India rather than a broad censorious set of internet control regulations.

Technical analysis submitted in a court case against activists in India reveals a malware attack to plant key evidence used against the accused. Notably, several activists subject to persecution as well as those connected with the defendants had already been targeted for malware attacks using NSO Group technology.

At a meeting Tuesday of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group (OEWG), we provided civil society input on a proposed report that addresses cybersecurity. We strongly support the OEWG report, but we believe governments can do better.

In India, the black market for people’s personal data is booming, putting privacy at risk. Yet the government is pushing to regulate “non-personal” information instead of advancing a personal data protection regime that would keep Indians safe.

Myanmar’s military uses internet shutdowns to quell protests and control the online space.