2. From Online Activism to
Offline Action!
Digital media and democratic
space!
2012 Symposium!
Gayathry Venkiteswaran
Executive Director
Southeast Asian Press Alliance
Twitter: @seapabkk @gayathry

3. Key Points
1) There may not be causal links,
but in itself the use of the online
tools have brought to the national
agenda, key governance issues
2) State push back is mainly non-
technological
3) Change is supported by a more
enabling political, judicial, civil
society, media environments

4. Presentation
l Life just before @Facebook and
#Twitter – why people will always
find ways to speak
l Blogspot.com/I'm_arrested – why
the government will always find
ways to control
l Who benefits, who drives?

5. Life just before @Facebook and
#Twitter

6. #HelloGarci
Title: Hello Garci,
Philippines 2005
Recording of a
conversation between
President Arroyo and
Election Commissioner
Vrigilio Garcilano during
the 2004 national
election in her favour. It
became a famous
ringtone that was shared
around – at its height,
there were 1million
Filipinos using that
ringtone. It became part
of electoral awareness
tool. The expose did not
in itself lead to her
impeachment but it
remains on the political
agenda.
Pix credit: http://walangsulat.blogspot.com/2009/03/remember-hello-garci-scandal.html

7. #Squatgate
Title: Squatgate,
Malaysia 2005
Revelation of female
detainees forced to do
ear squats in the nude.
One such incident was
recorded on mobile
phone and distributed via
MMS. Led to a Cabinet
Minister being sent to
China to apologise,
because it was made to
believe that the detainee
was a Chinese national.
It turned out later to be a
Malaysian national.
Police SOPs - which has
also since then been an
agenda of civil society.
Pix credit: Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

8. #SaffronRevolution
Title: Saffron
Revolution, Burma
2007
Thousands of monks
involved in nationwide
protests, inviting
eventual military
crackdown. Images of
the crackdown and
protests were captured
on personal cameras
and videos and sent out
by individuals before the
government shut down
access to the internet.
The award winning
documentary Burma VJ
documents this.
Pix credit: Mizzima News

9. Blogspot.com/I'm_arrested

10. Facebook/1M people against net
control
l Most governments that have shown readiness
to charge bloggers/netizens/media have mainly
used typical criminal laws of national security,
criminal defamation, so-called illegal
transactions
l Its a classic case of invasion more than privacy;
control rather than protection

11. Blogspot.com/I'm_arrested
Examples:
l Vietnam - arrest of bloggers under Article 77 (overthrowing the
people's administration) or Article 88 (propoganda against the
state) of the Criminal Code
l Burma - the targets were those working or contributing towards
the media in exile, Democratic Voice of Burma - under the
Unlawful Associations Act, Immigration Act or Electronic
Transactions Act.
l Malaysia - the use of the Sedition Act and Criminal Code
(criminal defamation), and more and more the Communications
and Multimedia Act
l Thailand – Article 112 of the Penal Code and Computer Crimes
Act

12. Who benefits, who drives

13. Who's repsonsible for changes, if
any?
l The drivers behind opening, more progressive
laws, or vice versa, are a mixed bag of top-
down and bottom-up processes.
l Reflecting on the intrduction of FOI laws as an
example to compare Thailand (one man) and
Indonesia (civil society)
l Vengeful individuals speak louder - Senate
Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III puts in
provision for online libe in the last minute in the
Cybercrime Prevention Act of Philippines

14. So, is it a Yes or No?
l Uncovering the impact of or even the links
between online activism-offline will still require
us to ask old questions
Why the temporary injuction Why Burma's military
on the implementation of regime takes the path down
the Cybercrime Prevention openness in media, but not
Act in Philippines was Vietnam
possible, but not Section
114a of the Evidence Act in
Malaysia Why with a free media
environment, the online
space is restricted and
highly contested in
Thailand

15. Locating strategic responses
l Places critical issues in the public domain, with the
potential for influencing public opinion on governance and
administration
l Draws external/international attention to an internal conflict
to offer solidarity, provide an impetus for change
l Shows that triggers are often very close to the individual
citizens – issues concerning their daily lives like prices;
dignity; rights
l There is growing recognition and response that defending
online spaces is a cause itself
l Some positive changes we see still rely on the
independence of the media and the judiciary as well as
presence of strong civil society

16. From Online Activism to
Offline Action!
Digital media and democratic
space!
2012 Symposium!
Gayathry Venkiteswaran
Executive Director
Southeast Asian Press Alliance
Twitter: @seapabkk @gayathry