Newsletter

November 18, 2022

In this edition, we put a spotlight on online freedom of speech in the Philippines, as well as a collection of videos discussing how technologies are shaping our future. We also release a two-part podcast series on media's role in the stigmatisation of indigenous religious communities in Indonesia, plus a film about a group that provides proper closure for the dead in Jakarta.

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ONLINE FREEDOM OF SPEECH

'Digital rights advocates respond to the PH SIM Card Registration Law'

Why should Filipinos be concerned about the newly-enacted SIM Card Registration Law?

While its primary aim is to protect Filipinos from an increasing number of spam text messages and text scams, the law raises concerns over its impact on privacy, free expression, and data security.

In this video, human and digital rights advocates explain why they remain worried over the law's wide-ranging impact on the safety of journalists, human rights defenders, and the general public.

Producer: EngageMedia
Country: Philippines

WATCH THE VIDEO

The video is produced by EngageMedia, together with the Foundation for Media Alternatives, Data Ethics PH, iMPACT Leadership, Computer Professionals' Union, and Metro Manila Pride. Learn more about the digital rights concerns surrounding the SIM Card Registration Law.

 

FEATURED PLAYLIST

Digital Discourses 2022: What will our future look like?

The fifth edition of Goethe-Institut Indonesien's Digital Discourses series is now available to watch on Cinemata! Watch the lectures and panel discussions from the latest instalment held last October that explored how new technologies are shaping our future – and the ethical questions that underlie these breakthroughs.

WATCH THE PLAYLIST

Learn more about Digital Discourses 2022 here. All four previous editions are also available to watch on Cinemata.

 

FEATURED FILMS

'X-Hunter: The Black Cross’

In Jakarta, Indonesia, around 160 people die every day. Almost 10 per cent of the bodies are unidentified. An organisation called the Black Cross takes care of these bodies and provides proper closure for the dead. (Warning: Graphic content)

Producer: Anatman Pictures
Country: Indonesia

WATCH THE FILM

'Singkwento: Lito Ocampo' (50 Stories: Lito Ocampo)

For Lito Ocampo, a Filipino photojournalist who experienced torture and detention during martial law, photography paved the way for him to show the people's struggle against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

This film is part of Altermidya's "Singkwento: Pagtatagpo ng Noon at Ngayon" (50 Stories: Confluence of Past and Present), a series dedicated to the experiences of artists and journalists during the Marcos dictatorship.

Producer: Altermidya - People's Alternative Media Network
Country: Philippines

WATCH THE FILM

'Pretty Good Podcast Episode 23: Media's Role in Dehumanising Indigenous Communities in Indonesia’ 

In Indonesia, communities that practice indigenous religion face discrimination – branded as 'heretics' or 'misguided cults'. This stigmatisation is often exacerbated by their depiction in mainstream media and online narratives.

In this episode of Pretty Good Podcast, Dr Samsul Maarif of Universitas Gadjah Mada and Devina Heriyanto of Project Multatuli expound on the media's role in propagating oversimplified narratives that dehumanise indigenous communities.

Pretty Good Podcast: Digital Rights and the Asia-Pacific is a podcast dedicated to mainstreaming digital rights in the Asia-Pacific by amplifying regional voices and linking current affairs to issues on and related to digital rights.

Producer: EngageMedia
Country: Indonesia

WATCH THE VIDEO PODCAST

Check out the accompanying blog post that provides additional references and relevant links to this podcast episode.