Digital mobilization and censorship in the Asia Pacific

There is great variability in the usage of information communication technology (ICT) between Asia Pacific states from those with almost no adoption to ubiquity in others. Nevertheless, a common pattern is ICT’s increasing role in social mobilization and political engagement. This is true in both democratic and non-democratic Asian states.

ICT directly affects how societal actors organize for political and social action often by lowering the costs of mobilization. Governments across the Asia Pacific have also gained considerable capacity to control and censor digital information through ICT.

The memos under this theme explore how ICT is transforming political engagement across the region altering the actions of both society and governments.

Memos part of this Theme: