When Digital Repression Backfires
Surachanee Sriyai
In seeking to shape the public information space, some governments have resorted to digital repression. But these instruments come with the danger of overreach.

Surachanee Sriyai
In seeking to shape the public information space, some governments have resorted to digital repression. But these instruments come with the danger of overreach.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
Hanoi’s efforts to enlist social media influencers to spread positive narratives risk hurting their credibility, encountering platform pushback, and ultimately backfiring at home and abroad.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
The coordinated pushback against a Vietnamese influencer who had lamented the passing of a cultural icon shows that the state values displays of patriotism, but only if such displays toe the party line.
Beltsazar Krisetya
Despite growing calls for collaboration, the technological core of content moderation remains largely a black box. While multi-stakeholder partnerships are increasingly invoked in regional policy discourse, external oversight or shared governance of the underlying moderation technologies remain limited.
Nuurrianti Jalli|Ika Ningtyas|Yearry Panji Setianto
Through TikTok, Prabowo Subianto successfully rebranded himself from being a controversial figure to being a relatable leader. TikTok’s emphasis on short-form entertaining content simplifies complex political issues into meme-worthy visuals. While this encourages engagement from younger audiences, it risks trivialising critical political discussions and reducing voters’ decision-making into emotional reactions.
Iim Halimatusa’diyah
Indonesian youth have taken to social media to vent their concerns about inequality. This should be taken seriously.
Surachanee Sriyai
The Thai-Cambodian border dispute has seen the use of information warfare on both sides.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi
While it is early days yet, might West Java’s highly popular new governor feature in Indonesia’s next presidential race?
Brandon Tan Jun Wen
Bobby’s satirical skewering of nepotism and corruption strongly appeals to Southeast Asians, who share disillusionment and a desire to laugh at a system seen as unfair and ineffective.
Brandon Tan Jun Wen
Some digital media companies are exploiting animals for profit in Vietnam. This needs to be curbed through active community policing and effective online moderation.