×

Pretty Good Podcast: Discussion on Digital Rights

PGP opening graphics

Pretty Good Podcast: Discussions on Digital Rights, is a podcast dedicated to mainstreaming digital rights in the Asia-Pacific by amplifying regional voices and linking current affairs to issues on and related to digital rights.

Pretty Good Podcast is also recorded remotely and produced primarily using free and open-source software. Read about our process in this post. Interested in hosting your own podcast? Read this post for tips on building effective podcasts remotely. 

Global Voices Advox Editor Ameya Nagarajan shares about the rise of digital authoritarianism and other digital rights trends in the Asia-Pacific monitored through the Advox and Unfreedom Monitor project.
In this episode of PGP Live at DRAPAC23, Numun Fund’s Information and Knowledge Systems Choreographer Syar S. Alia delves into the organisation’s exploration of feminist tech and prioritising equitable, accessible, and safe technology for all.
This episode of PGP Live at DRAPAC23 features Bradley (not his real name), a social technology researcher who has conducted research on the alternative communication methods in Myanmar following the February 2021 coup. 
In this episode recorded live at the DRAPAC23 Assembly, Athan - Freedom of Expression Activist Organization Director Zee Pe shares how the group is pushing back against digital rights violations through research and amplifying communities’ stories.
Htaike Htaike Aung, lead curator of the Myanmar Internet Project and founder of Myanmar ICT for Development Organization, talks about the ongoing digital dictatorship in Myanmar and how pro-democracy activists are pushing back against the regime.
In the final 2022 episode of Pretty Good Podcast, EngageMedia Executive Director Phet Sayo shares his take on the current issues surrounding Big Tech, how these affect the Asia-Pacific, and his vision for the future of digital rights.
In the last of a two-part series, lecturer Dr. Samsul Maarif and Project Multatuli membership manager Devina Heriyanto discuss how intersectoral solutions online and offline can help marginalised indigenous communities reclaim their narratives.
Dr. Samsul Maarif of Universitas Gadjah Mada and Devina Heriyanto of Project Multatuli tackle how and why mainstream narratives perpetuate discrimination against marginalised religious groups in Indonesia and what can be done to address the issue.
EM- PGP Episode 22
Imam Ardhianto, lecturer and chair of the University of Indonesia’s Media, Culture, and Research Center for Anthropological Studies, discusses religious social media movements in Indonesia and the impact on the country's socio-political landscape.
Harindrini Corea and Zayed Siddiki, contributors of EngageMedia’s Pandemic of Control series, elaborate on how the digital technologies used for pandemic management have infringed on human and digital rights in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In this episode, Asia-Pacific analyst and Access Now’s Myanmar lead Wai Phyo Myint sheds light on the current situation in Myanmar and the ongoing efforts of digital rights actors, individuals, and organisations to restore democracy in the country.
In this episode, research consultant Dr Diani Citra and EngageMedia Digital Rights Program Officer for Indonesia Pradipa Rasidi expound on the idea of data justice as it relates to Indonesia and the Philippines.
In this episode, author, filmmaker, and activist Noor Huda Ismail discusses online radicalisation in Southeast Asia: how social media algorithms play a role, and what can be done to help targeted individuals reintegrate back into society.
In this episode, Dr Jun-E Tan expounds on her research with EngageMedia on AI governance in Southeast Asia, discussing the need to contextualise this technology based on the region's needs and how countries can govern AI in ways that protect people.
In the last of Pretty Good Podcast's two-part series on freedom of religious expression in Indonesia, accomplished journalist and writer Feby Indirani shares her experience in advocating for such freedoms in the online space.

Subscribe to Pretty Good Podcast

Global Voices Advox Editor Ameya Nagarajan shares about the rise of digital authoritarianism and other digital rights trends in the Asia-Pacific monitored through the Advox and Unfreedom Monitor project.
In this episode of PGP Live at DRAPAC23, Numun Fund’s Information and Knowledge Systems Choreographer Syar S. Alia delves into the organisation’s exploration of feminist tech and prioritising equitable, accessible, and safe technology for all.
This episode of PGP Live at DRAPAC23 features Bradley (not his real name), a social technology researcher who has conducted research on the alternative communication methods in Myanmar following the February 2021 coup. 
In this episode recorded live at the DRAPAC23 Assembly, Athan - Freedom of Expression Activist Organization Director Zee Pe shares how the group is pushing back against digital rights violations through research and amplifying communities’ stories.
Htaike Htaike Aung, lead curator of the Myanmar Internet Project and founder of Myanmar ICT for Development Organization, talks about the ongoing digital dictatorship in Myanmar and how pro-democracy activists are pushing back against the regime.
In the final 2022 episode of Pretty Good Podcast, EngageMedia Executive Director Phet Sayo shares his take on the current issues surrounding Big Tech, how these affect the Asia-Pacific, and his vision for the future of digital rights.
In the last of a two-part series, lecturer Dr. Samsul Maarif and Project Multatuli membership manager Devina Heriyanto discuss how intersectoral solutions online and offline can help marginalised indigenous communities reclaim their narratives.
Dr. Samsul Maarif of Universitas Gadjah Mada and Devina Heriyanto of Project Multatuli tackle how and why mainstream narratives perpetuate discrimination against marginalised religious groups in Indonesia and what can be done to address the issue.
EM- PGP Episode 22
Imam Ardhianto, lecturer and chair of the University of Indonesia’s Media, Culture, and Research Center for Anthropological Studies, discusses religious social media movements in Indonesia and the impact on the country's socio-political landscape.
Harindrini Corea and Zayed Siddiki, contributors of EngageMedia’s Pandemic of Control series, elaborate on how the digital technologies used for pandemic management have infringed on human and digital rights in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In this episode, Asia-Pacific analyst and Access Now’s Myanmar lead Wai Phyo Myint sheds light on the current situation in Myanmar and the ongoing efforts of digital rights actors, individuals, and organisations to restore democracy in the country.
In this episode, research consultant Dr Diani Citra and EngageMedia Digital Rights Program Officer for Indonesia Pradipa Rasidi expound on the idea of data justice as it relates to Indonesia and the Philippines.
In this episode, author, filmmaker, and activist Noor Huda Ismail discusses online radicalisation in Southeast Asia: how social media algorithms play a role, and what can be done to help targeted individuals reintegrate back into society.
In this episode, Dr Jun-E Tan expounds on her research with EngageMedia on AI governance in Southeast Asia, discussing the need to contextualise this technology based on the region's needs and how countries can govern AI in ways that protect people.
In the last of Pretty Good Podcast's two-part series on freedom of religious expression in Indonesia, accomplished journalist and writer Feby Indirani shares her experience in advocating for such freedoms in the online space.
Pretty Good Podcast caps off its second season with a special two-part series on freedom of religion and expression online in Indonesia. In Part 1, we speak to academic Leonard Epafras of the Indonesian Consortium of Religious Studies in Yogyakarta on the broader history of religion in the country and Indonesian youth’s experience of expressing their beliefs online.
With Big Tech monopolies owning many of the online services we regularly use, is there still a space (and an audience) for platforms and content outside this mostly proprietary ecosystem? EngageMedia is up for the challenge with the launch of Cinemata, a platform for social and environmental films about the Asia-Pacific. In this podcast episode, we expound on Cinemata with our Executive Director Andrew Lowenthal.
EngageMedia and Reset Australia Executive Director Chris Cooper have a nuanced discussion on how Australia's News Media Bargaining Code affects different sectors of society – and what precedents it will set in the Asia-Pacific region, where governments are increasingly passing more authoritarian laws that regulate content on online platforms.
EngageMedia sits down with Mong Palatino, Southeast Asia and Oceania editor of the community media website Global Voices, to talk about the threats to freedom of expression on the internet. Most importantly, we ask Mong: Is the internet still a safe space for us to freely express ourselves?
What concrete actions can the international community do to support Myanmar's fight for democracy? EngageMedia talks to prominent pro-democracy activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi on how exactly the military is using technology against protesters, and what kinds of support Myanmar civil society needs to continue their fight for democracy.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred on existing debates and developments on users’ privacy, government surveillance, and data monetisation. But what do all these mean for the Asia-Pacific? EngageMedia chats with Mishi Choudhary, founder of SFLC.in, on how recent events are affecting the region, and how we can boost our voices and influence the tech space.
There have been many reports on what is happening in Myanmar following the military coup, but more than ever we need to listen to stories from the ground, as told by the people of Myanmar. On this episode of Pretty Good Podcast, EngageMedia interviews filmmaker Stephen Minus (also known as Thet Oo Maung) on his experience documenting the protests that have swept the country, and the wider implications of the military's human and digital rights violations against the Myanmar people.
Following the recently concluded elections in Myanmar, EngageMedia sits down with Maung Zarni, Burmese scholar and co-founder of Forces of Renewal Southeast Asia (FORSEA), to discuss how the poll results tie into the bigger digital rights challenges facing the country today.
Bishakha Datta, Executive Director of Point of View, elaborates on how the challenges marginalised groups face on the internet are parallel to the obstacles encountered offline, as well as how allies in solidarity can protect and amplify these stories in the digital space.
On this episode of Pretty Good Podcast, Amnesty International Thailand Director Piyanut Kotsan enumerates the human and digital rights issues and violations occurring during the recent youth-led protests in Thailand.