The Human Rights Technology Initiative by EngageMedia is a comprehensive programme designed to enhance digital security for human rights defenders across the Asia-Pacific region. This three-year initiative will provide essential training, tools, and community-driven solutions to human rights defenders operating in some of the world’s most restrictive digital environments.
Asia-Pacific nations rank lower than the global average in the 2024 Freedom on the Net report, with only three out of the 15 countries surveyed in the region being considered free. China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Thailand are among the most restrictive countries globally in terms of internet freedom. Meanwhile, other Asia-Pacific countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh – although categorised as partly free – have largely seen deteriorations in internet freedom. This decline is set against a backdrop of large-scale disinformation, rising authoritarianism, intensified surveillance, and increased censorship, all exacerbated by advancing machine learning, increasing regulatory overreach, and weakening democratic institutions.
Bridging the digital security gap
Despite the availability of secure technologies, many human rights defenders struggle to access or trust them due to lack of awareness, financial constraints, and technical complexity. The Human Rights Technology Initiative aims to close the gap between existing privacy-respecting, secure, and open digital technology and its adoption among human rights defenders by ensuring that digital security tools and resources are readily available and easily accessible in the region. A key component of the initiative is its emphasis on collaboration and sustainability, drawing on successful models from other digital security initiatives while tailoring solutions to the unique challenges of the Asia-Pacific region.
Key focus areas
- Baseline study – Regional surveys to assess current digital security practices, threats, and barriers faced by human rights defenders particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
- Capacity building – Learning opportunities on safe data and content management, secure and private communications, and censorship and surveillance circumvention.
- Access to technology – Deployment of critical digital security tools through resource aggregation and peer support amongst technology partners within Asia-Pacific.
- Advocacy and awareness – Campaigns encouraging civil society organisations, community groups, independent media outlets, and academic institutions to support the human rights technology ecosystem.
Call for collaboration
EngageMedia invites civil society organisations and human rights practitioners to collaborate on this critical initiative to strengthen the digital resilience of human rights defenders and safeguard online spaces in Asia-Pacific. For more information contact Khairil Zhafri at [email protected].
See also
- Asia-Pacific human rights tech survey 2025 – Share your experiences!
- DRAPAC VPN Project protects human rights defenders from censorship and surveillance
- digisec.wiki – Digital security and online safety community wiki on for human rights defenders
- Jitsi Meet by EngageMedia – Fuss-free videoconferencing for the digital rights community
