Digitally Right partnered with the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) to support a research and capacity-building initiative focused on tracking and countering the misuse of anti-fake news laws in Asia. The project aimed to contribute to the development of an online tracker that documents civil society responses to restrictive legislation and promotes cross-border knowledge exchange.

Digitally Right assisted GIGA’s principal researchers in collecting and organizing local data, identifying interview subjects, supporting field logistics, and monitoring real-time developments in Bangladesh’s digital rights landscape. A key area of focus was civil society’s pushback strategies against censorship, surveillance, and shrinking civic space under anti-disinformation laws.

The collaboration culminated in a hybrid training workshop held on June 3, 2024, in Dhaka. Titled “Online Tracker Development and Advancing Knowledge Sharing,” the workshop brought together participants from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and the Philippines. Attendees included representatives from CSOs, academia, legal professions, and youth organizations.

Sessions focused on the functionality of the online tracker, experiences with disinformation legislation, legal and advocacy strategies, and pathways for regional collaboration. The event created space for meaningful exchange on challenges and successes in countering digital repression and fostered connections for future cooperation across South and Southeast Asia.

Through this project, Digitally Right contributed both local insight and regional coordination to a growing body of research and action on digital authoritarianism.