by Digitally Right | May 8, 2025 | Our work, Research, Updates
Across South Asia, the internet is a powerful space for connection, creativity, and activism but with growing online threats, censorship, and limited awareness of digital rights, that space is becoming harder to navigate safely and freely. To better understand these challenges, Digitally Right is pleased to present the study “Tech Policy in South Asia- An Evolving Landscape”, developed as part of the Protecting Online Rights of Changemakers (PORCH) project. The research was conducted in collaboration with Internews, along with regional partners Digitally Right (Bangladesh), CUTS International (India), Youth Innovation Lab (Nepal), Digital Turtles (Sri Lanka), and Tattle (India).
The study explores how young people and women in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka experience digital platforms, and how current laws and policies impact their rights to expression, privacy, and safety online.
Findings reveal low awareness of digital rights across the region. Many respondents, especially women, face online harassment and do not feel free to express themselves online. Internet shutdowns, surveillance, and vague cyber laws contribute to a growing climate of fear and self-censorship. Despite being active users, women and youth remain largely excluded from digital policy discussions.
Based on surveys, focus group discussions, and expert interviews, the report highlights the urgent need for inclusive policymaking and stronger protections for digital rights in South Asia.
by Digitally Right | Apr 23, 2025 | Our work, Updates
Be it rumor, misinformation, or disinformation, the spread of harmful narratives is a global challenge. But in countries like Bangladesh, the stakes are even higher. With a growing dependence on social media as a prime source of information and low levels of media literacy, the ecosystem is particularly vulnerable. Factchecking initiatives are still limited, and traditional media outlets often fall short in their gatekeeping role, sometimes publishing news without thorough verification, leading to undermining public trust.
In this context, Digitally Right, in collaboration with The Asia Foundation and UK International Development, hosted the FactFest: National Factcheckers’ Convening 2025. The event brought together factcheckers from leading factchecking organizations and media outlets in order to address the issues regarding the information ecosystem and factcheckers’ role, making it the very first initiative of its kind in Bangladesh.
In the two-day event on April 20 and 21, 24 factcheckers from six organizations in the country came together representing AFP Factcheck, Boom Bangladesh, Dismislab, Rumor Scanner, FactWatch and Ajker Patrika.
Strengthening collaboration among factcheckers, sharing experience-based insights, building collaborative strategies to respond to several types of false information, and collectively addressing the challenges posed by disinformation in Bangladesh: these were the primary aims of the convening.
The first day of the event featured two critical panel discussions. The opening panel, themed “Fact-Checking, Trust, and the Road Ahead” attempted to evaluate the current information ecosystem, assess the state of fact-checking practices in Bangladesh, and identify the upcoming challenges and potential solutions. The second panel, “Rethinking our Response to Gendered Disinformation,” focused on existing and better approaches to addressing gender-based false information and Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated content.
In addition to the panel discussions, fact-checkers representing their respective organizations showcased some of their most impactful work and the challenges they faced throughout the process while others suggested their possible solutions.
The day concluded with a workshop titled “Strategies for Monitoring Misinformation and Disinformation Online,” which focused on practical tools and approaches for identifying and tracking false content across digital platforms.
The second day of the convening commenced with a focused group discussion on “Collaborative Strategies for Tackling Disinformation in the Upcoming Election.” Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving political landscape, the forthcoming election is anticipated to be one of the most pivotal and transitional moments in the country’s recent history.
Reflecting on the 12th National Parliamentary Elections held on January 7, 2024, panelists highlighted the widespread circulation of various forms of disinformation—from fabricated candidate withdrawal announcements to misleading reports about international endorsements or condemnations. That election was marked by lowest voter engagement in recent decades. In contrast, the factcheckers emphasized, with more stakeholders involved, the upcoming election is expected to be significantly more participatory, drawing greater public interest. In light of these developments, combating misinformation in the upcoming election will be even more complex.
The discussion delved into key challenges, potential threats, and the importance of collaborative, multi-stakeholder strategies to safeguard the integrity of the electoral information environment.
The two-day convening concluded with a comprehensive SWOT analysis session titled “Tackling Disinformation: Mapping Needs, Gaps, and Strategies.” The discussion highlighted key strengths and opportunities within the existing fact-checking ecosystem, while also identifying critical gaps and vulnerabilities that hinder collaborative and effective responses to disinformation.
While FactFest: National Factcheckers’ Convening 2025 may have been the first initiative of its kind in Bangladesh, it certainly should not be the last. The event set an important precedent for cross-organizational collaboration, strategic dialogue, and collective reflection on the evolving disinformation landscape. As misinformation continues to adapt and intensify—particularly in high-stakes contexts like national elections, protests, conflicts, natural disasters—ongoing engagement, resource-sharing, and capacity-building among fact-checkers will be mandatory.
We believe the convening served as a critical starting point, laying the groundwork for a more cohesive, evolving, and trustworthy information ecosystem in Bangladesh. The participants voiced a shared hope, an aspiration to keep this momentum going, encouraging more initiatives, strong collaboration, and effective networks to combat false information.
by Digitally Right | Apr 8, 2025 | Our work, Updates
We’re excited to introduce the Digital Safety School Resource Center, a one-stop hub designed to boost digital safety awareness and best practices. Over the last few months, our team has worked hard to create and gather valuable content, publishing over 23 insightful articles to help individuals and organizations stay secure online.
At Digital Safety School, you’ll find two full days of expert-led training sessions where our experienced instructors share practical knowledge and offer customized training packages tailored to your needs.
The Resource Center is packed with up-to-date insights on the latest digital trends and threats, making it easier than ever to stay informed. Every week, we release fresh guides, tools, and tips to help you navigate the digital world with confidence.
Our Resource Center covers essential digital safety topics to help you stay secure online. We provide practical guides on creating strong passwords, protecting your online privacy, and using secure, open-source tools. You’ll also find advice on avoiding phishing scams, online fraud, and data breaches, along with digital hygiene tips to keep your accounts safe.
We also share device safety guidelines and recommend easy-to-use tools to enhance your security in the digital world. All our content is published in simple, clear Bangla, making it accessible to everyone so you can learn how to stay safe in your personal and professional life.
Whether you’re an individual or part of an organization, these resources can help you understand the threats and ways to mitigate them to keep you safer in an increasingly connected world.
We encourage you to explore the Resource Center and make the most of the knowledge available. Let’s work together to create a safer digital space for everyone!
Visit the Digital Safety School Resource Center here: https://digitalsafetyschool.com/resources/
by Digitally Right | Feb 23, 2025 | Our work, Updates
South Asia, despite being home to one-fourth of the world’s population and a dynamic hub for tech innovation and burgeoning digital economies, has been consistently overlooked by global funders and tech corporations. Our region is often left grappling with the dual challenge of uneven policies of platforms and emerging authoritarian state regulations that increasingly undermine fundamental freedoms. The lack of context-specific protections provided by tech platforms adds to the unequal and unsafe online experiences for millions in our region, particularly among vulnerable communities. Furthermore, intermediary intervention in the South Asian region leads to a significant lack of meaningful engagement with the communities most affected by rapid technological proliferation and uneven governance.
In January 2025, Digitally Right (Bangladesh), Digital Rights Foundation (Pakistan), and Hashtag Generation (Sri Lanka) convened in Colombo and the Digital Accountability Collective South Asia (DACSA) emerged from a shared commitment to address pressing concerns regarding platform governance, accountability, and the broader impact of existing and emerging technologies in South Asia.
Our collective mission centers on ensuring that tech platforms operate in a manner that is transparent, equitable, and safeguards the rights of all users, particularly those from marginalized communities. We aim to present a unified voice from South Asia with a nuanced understanding of the impact of platform policies and stringent state regulations on our communities. The coalition also aims to learn, understand, contribute, and influence change at regional and local levels, and amplify the voices of civil society working on digital rights and tech justice across South Asia. DACSA will encourage collaboration among groups working in South Asia on digital rights in order to build a regional movement to influence platforms and state policies which are inconsistent with the international human rights framework. Together, we seek to create mechanisms that hold platforms and states accountable while empowering communities with skills, tools and frameworks to navigate the digital world safely and equitably.
As three organizations who have been working with stakeholders for the promotion of digital equity and safety in our respective countries for several years, we also represent and seek to highlight the combined weight that Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have in the South Asian tech space/audience. The coalition aims to come forth as the first step in a wider South Asian collective that brings together the concerns and wealth of experience of three organizations who have been working on the ground to foster equality and safety in online spaces and hold tech platforms accountable.
DACSA expresses grave concern over the growing trend among social media and tech corporations to enact drastic policy changes, reportedly influenced by commitments to align with the current US administration’s priorities. These shifts, which include delegitimizing fact checking and dismantling safeguards for marginalized communities risk exacerbating misinformation, political instability, communal violence, and democratic backsliding in regions like South Asia.
The erosion of accountability mechanisms, including protections for gender and marginalized identities, blatantly disregards the severe offline consequences of online hate speech and discrimination. By outsourcing enforcement to flawed user-reporting systems and abandoning proactive safeguards, tech companies disproportionately burden vulnerable communities already grappling with systemic harassment and violence. Such actions reveal a troubling prioritization of corporate and political interests over regional safety and equity. We urge all social media and tech companies to halt this dangerous trajectory and engage meaningfully with civil society to develop policies that prioritize user well-being. In South Asia, where digital platforms increasingly dictate political discourse and public safety for millions, the stakes of these profit-driven experiments are intolerably high.
As a collective, we at DACSA remain committed to closely monitoring the evolving digital landscape in South Asia and advocating for stronger, community-driven approaches to tech justice. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that the voices and experiences of those most affected are centered in shaping the region’s digital future.
by Digitally Right | Feb 2, 2025 | Our work, Research
Digitally Right has released the second edition of Technology, People, and Policy, which includes an additional research paper from the Tech Policy Fellowship’s second cohort. In this volume, our fellows explore critical issues at the intersection of technology, policy, and human rights in Bangladesh. The newly added paper explores the legal status of app-based transport service providers in Bangladesh, shedding light on the gaps in existing labor laws and regulations and the resulting challenges faced by millions of gig workers.
Other contributions to the volume delve into a range of pressing digital issues in the country: cyberbullying among adolescents in Dhaka, the limited effectiveness of internet shutdowns in combating misinformation, and the impact of discriminatory digital laws on gender-diverse communities. Additional studies examine the growing threat of technology-facilitated human trafficking, vulnerabilities in the protection of personal data through Bangladesh’s online passport services, and the digitalization of the microfinance sector—particularly its effects on women borrowers—highlighting both the opportunities and the challenges in advancing financial inclusion.
This publication is a testament to the fellows’ commitment to fostering an open, inclusive, and rights-respecting digital landscape.
We extend our gratitude to our knowledge partner, Access Now, for their invaluable support. A special thanks to our mentors and editorial team for their dedication to refining these research contributions.
We hope these papers enrich policy discussions and inspire further research and advocacy in the evolving tech landscape.
Read the full publication below
