Disinformation fuels South-east Asian censorship risks

Significance

A Thai court blocked the order on August 6, but the government is expected to push back forcefully. This comes as South-east Asian governments struggle to contain disinformation on COVID-19, which is fuelling vaccine hesitancy and thwarting attempts to contain the virus.

Impacts

• Forthcoming elections in some of the region's countries will boost the use of disinformation.
• Rising support for Western over Chinese vaccines will fuel anti-China sentiment online and possibly violence against ethnic Chinese.
• Disinformation on COVID-19 by Islamic State and local jihadists, particularly in Indonesia, raises the risk of terrorist attacks.