The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the role of the Internet as a basic necessity, indispensable to conducting work, attending school, and participating in social and political activities. In January 2021, around 59.5% of the world’s population was using the Internet, 10% of which is in Southeast Asia. The United Nations and many governments around the world have also recognized internet access as a human right, the fulfilment of which relies on the safe and free exercise of Internet freedoms.

As Internet use continuously grows, it has also become a battleground for human rights, with state and non-state actors using it to either put people at risk of human rights abuses or prevent individuals from fully and safely exercising their Internet freedoms.

To  empower parliamentarians (MPs) to advocate for internet freedoms, APHR in partnership with the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL), presents this Toolkit for Parliamentarians: Promoting Internet Freedoms in Southeast Asia. It introduces the international norms and standards governing internet freedoms, highlights common and pressing challenges found in the region, and outlines recommendations for MPs on how they can utilize their role to promote and strengthen these freedoms.

DOWNLOAD HERE