Data Flows and Tech Policy in India

Through a new program on Platform Futures, the Digital Asia Hub aims to convene a network of academics and experts studying multiple aspects of platforms, and to create a space for dialogue on opportunities, challenges, and governance best practices in the APAC context. Smitha Krishna Prasad has been working with the Centre for Communication Governance[…]

Who Believed in COVID-19 Conspiracies in China?

As COVID-19 quickly spread throughout the world since January 2020, the uncertainty concerning the origins and features of the virus provided a fertile ground for misinformation and conspiracy theories to thrive. Different from those popular COVID-19 conspiracy narratives in the West, on Chinese social media the conspiracies that gained traction were ones that faulted the[…]

[RSVP] When the Music’s Over – COVID, Conspiracies and Content Patterns: An India – China Conversation (September 18)

The pandemic triggered a new wave of misinformation and conspiracy theories, about everything from the source of the virus and its epidemiology, to containment measures, to the science behind prevention and treatment. This ‘infodemic’ has serious consequences for public health, with diverse strains playing on fears and prejudices in different contexts and countries. What can[…]

When the Music’s Over – Test, Trace, Isolate. And Legislate?

Tracing apps. Border closures. Quarantines. Immunity Passports. QR Codes. And good old fashioned legislation. Join us on a trip from Seoul to Sydney via the UK, as we hear about the role of law in codifying safeguards, and (re)opening borders and businesses. Our all-star line-up have been closely following (and in one case, leading!) their respective[…]

When The Music’s Over – “Not at Home” with Dr. Nishant Shah

Our previous sessions have focused on law, policy, technology, journalism and other interventions with a public dimension. Moving inward, to the domestic, the private, and the liminal spaces that COVID19 has interrupted, our next session is about looking at the squareness of our homes beyond the rectangles of our screens. We’re thrilled to host “Not[…]

When The Music’s Over – Contact Tracing Apps: Solution or Snake Oil?

Few things in the COVID-verse have been as polarising as contact tracing apps. Gamechangers, or solutions in search of a problem? Centralized or decentralized? Complementary to human contact tracers, or substitutes? In this session of When The Music’s we bring together: Sutawan Chanprasert, founder of DigitalReach Asia, has been analysing apps in Asia including Singapore’s[…]

When The Music’s Over – Access, Affordability, and Inclusion

Our last session on vulnerable populations focused on gig workers, migrants, and people on the margins, as well as the crisis conditions in which preexisting inequalities are amplified. Building on the themes of barriers, this session will highlight issues of access, affordability and other factors that promote inclusion. This conversation took place on Zoom on May[…]

When The Music’s Over – Economic and Social Vulnerabilities

We move from our launch event on journalism and health communication, to a session on economic and social vulnerabilities, the particular risks for informal workers and migrant labour, and the perils of welfare measures not reaching those on the margins. We’ll look at access and education barriers, as well as normative and infrastructural challenges. You can access[…]

The bio-surveillance state: an emerging new normal in Asia

When economic activity gradually resumed in China in mid-February, Chinese residents returned to a “new normal” under a strict surveillance infrastructure. They have their temperatures taken and personal information logged as they enter office buildings, residential communities and large commercial venues. And their freedom of movement depends on an app called Health Code (健康码), which[…]