Joint Press Statement_Asia Pacific Expert Meeting on Disinformation Regulation and the Free Flow of Information

KUALA LUMPUR (30 SEPTEMBER 2023)- The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), World Justice Project and LexisNexis, had jointly organised “the Asia Pacific Expert Meeting on Disinformation Regulation and the Free Flow of Information” today in Kuala Lumpur.

 The expert meeting was held to engage, share experiences, compare challenges and exchange best practices among the experts from the governments, the business community, civil society, and individual thought leaders on disinformation and disinformation laws with aims:

(i) to understand the current state of disinformation regulations in Southeast Asia and to identify key issues relating to disinformation regulation and resilience;

(ii) to identify and promote key principles and guidelines in international standards in tackling disinformation;

(iii) to better understand the challenge of disinformation, particularly in the context of elections;

(iv) to identify private sector best practices on disinformation and develop recommendations regarding the roles tech companies in the regions can and should play; and

(v) to identify non-regulatory approaches to addressing disinformation, including investments in independent media, digital literacy, fact-checking, and the roles of civil society organizations (CSO).

Governments, including ASEAN states, have taken diverse approaches to regulating disinformation under various laws addressing the publications of different types of false information. The meeting, attended by approximately 40 experts from multiple countries across Asia Pacific was structured to understand the impact of these methods; both the shortcomings and successes of various ways of regulating disinformation. Expert moderators also facilitated discussions on the risks of regulations intimidating efforts to challenge the authorities by disseminating accurate news and information to question those in power.

-END-

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)                                                           

Lexis Nexis                                                                                                                                            

World Justice Program

Tags: No tags

Comments are closed.