Human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) are working amidst a backdrop of rising authoritarianism and shrinking civic spaces. The expansion of surveillance and censorship regimes, exacerbated by AI and emerging technology, threatens the safety and security of human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and marginalised groups and their capability to exercise fundamental rights online. EngageMedia has been critical in building movements in South and Southeast Asia to help counter digital authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.
Around the world, one in every three people has no reliable access to the internet. Unequal access to the internet creates digital divides that can limit civic participation, undermine access to education and healthcare, and
The 2026 Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly is just one week away, bringing together over 500 human rights defenders, activists, policymakers, technologists, academics, and more from across the regional digital rights movement. DRAPAC26 in
