Is internet freedom slipping away in Southeast Asia?

Guardian Nigeria

Countries across the region are trending towards restricting free speech online, limiting access and censoring content.

Transcript

00:00Brazil has banned Axe. And Elon Musk is furious.

00:04But Brazil isn't the first government to clash with a social media giant.

00:08Axe has been facing criticism worldwide.

00:11Authorities in India, Pakistan and the European Union have raised some concerns.

00:16Here's what this means for us.

00:21In April 2024, a justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ordered Axe to block accounts

00:27accused of spreading disinformation.

00:30Many of these accounts supported former Brazilian right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro.

00:34Axe refused to comply.

00:37Now Brazil's internet providers were told to block access to the site.

00:41Apple and Google were given a deadline to remove the app from their stores.

00:46Even VPN users just accessing Axe could face fines.

00:51Brazil is sending a clear message they don't want Musk's platform in their country.

00:56Musk fired back with angry tweets.

00:59He claims the move is political and illegal.

01:02But Axe is under fire elsewhere too.

01:04In the European Union, Musk is accused of violating social media laws.

01:08The charges? Misleading users with blue verification ticks,

01:13not being transparent about ads and denying scientists access to data.

01:19If found guilty, Axe could face a hefty fine.

01:22In a separate investigation, the EU is also probing Axe for disinformation.

01:27To see if Axe will be held responsible for disinformation spread via the platform,

01:32we'll have to wait for court rulings.

01:34Here's what we know so far.

01:37After taking over Twitter, Musk fired about 80 percent of its trust and safety team.

01:43They were the ones primarily dealing with disinformation.

01:47Last year, Musk also cut the team working to prevent election disruptions.

01:52Making blue tick verification purchasable allowed bad actors to appear legit.

01:58An EU investigation found Axe had the highest disinformation rate among major social networks.

02:04Recently, research revealed coordinated disinformation campaigns flooding the

02:09platform ahead of this year's EU Parliament elections.

02:13Axe vs. free speech

02:16In Pakistan, Axe has been blocked since earlier this year.

02:20The interior ministry cited national security concerns, but activists argue

02:25that the ban was meant to silence dissent after Pakistan's February elections.

02:31This kind of restricting free speech is what Musk now accuses Brazil of doing.

02:36Free speech is the bedrock of democracy,

02:39and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes, he said.

02:46Musk has always claimed to be a free speech absolutist, but his record suggests otherwise.

02:52True, he resisted Brazilian authorities, but he complied with India's government

02:58when they came knocking and requested to remove content critical of the ruling party.

03:02In April, Axe blocked several posts in India after the election commission said

03:07opposition posts were making unverified claims.

03:11And Musk himself hasn't always defended free speech.

03:14Axe has blocked several accounts that were critical of him.

03:19Should platforms be held responsible for what's posted by their users?

03:23Or should they just be regarded as a place where content is displayed,

03:28no matter what content?

03:30What's your opinion on these issues?

03:31Let us know.

Category

Transcript

Recommended