Region: Malaysia

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.  

Access Now joined is demanding the Malaysian government abandon all attempts to throttle freedom of expression online, and overturn any plans to reinforce previous administrations’ archaic censorship laws.

Access Now is deeply concerned about  a precarious precedent set today, 19 February, limiting  the right to freedom of expression online in Malaysia, after independent media outlet Malaysiakini was  convicted by Malaysia’s highest court for user comments published on its site. 

The Attorney General of Malaysia is pressing charges against Malaysiakini and its editor-in-chief to hold it liable for comments posted by its readers, putting free expression and press freedom at risk.

This law is part of a global trend that harms free expression and threatens democratic discourse. We’re urging Malaysia to re-table the legislation for repeal.

Reports through our Digital Security Helpline indicate that the mobile phones of opposition politicians and activists are being targeted with DDoS attacks — effectively making their phones useless to communicate.

From Malaysia, to Uganda, to Tanzania, there are worrying laws that can send people to jail for what they post online. Here’s how activists are pushing back.

A dynamic new coalition is fighting back against outrageous new bills that would censor the internet and jail people for what they write online.

Rights groups won a major victory for free expression in Malaysia as a High Court lifted a three-month ban on The Edge Media Group. The decision follows months of sustained pressure by local advocacy groups in Malaysia and international organizations including Access Now. Sarawak Report, another major media organization in Malaysia, remains blocked.