Project Launch | The Pandemic of Surveillance: Digital Contact Tracing in Southeast Asia

Following the completion of the project on digital contact tracing in Southeast Asia, this launch event is organized to introduce those interested to learn more about the project. The COVID-19 pandemic has led countries around the world to respond to the pandemic through the use of technology. Digital contact tracing apps and other technological efforts were introduced with the aim to control the pandemic. However, concerns have been raised regarding how much we are able to trust these efforts for our personal data and privacy protection. In the region of Southeast Asia where the political environment is mostly repressive, there have also been concern that digital contact tracing efforts might be used for other purposes that are not related to public health.
The project was born as a result of our months-long tracking efforts on digital contact tracing in the Southeast Asia. It acts as a database for information on the development of digital contact tracing in the region, its implications on personal data protection and surveillance, and our conclusions and recommendations. The launch event will present our analysis of the problems and challenges facing digital contact tracing in Southeast Asia in terms of data and privacy protection and the potential of surveillance.  The topics include: the overall situation of digital contact tracing in Southeast Asia; how data protection is overlooked while the government continues to increase its efforts to encourage the use of digital contact tracing; and the challenges that remain in aligning personal data protection with international best practices.
Participants will be introduced to the project and the findings during the first part of the launch.  A panel of experts will later join the event to elaborate on the project’s key findings on the current situation regarding surveillance technology, digital security, and open technology in relation to digital contact tracing in Southeast Asia. This session will be facilitated as a fireside chat. Participants will have time to ask questions following the panel discussion.

Moderator

Ploy Chanprasert

Founder, DigitalReach

Panelists

Irene Poetranto

Senior Researcher, The Citizen Lab

Irene Poetranto is a Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab and a PhD Candidate at the Department of Political Science, University of Toronto. Her research interests include the politics of Internet regulation, digital security and identity politics (including gender and intersectionality), as well as countering terrorism, violent extremism, and hate speech online. Southeast Asia is her geographic area of focus. Irene obtained her Master’s degree in Political Science and Asia Pacific Studies from the University of Toronto and Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Hong Phuc Dang

Founder, FOSSASIA

As a founder of FOSSASIA, Hong Phuc is an Open Source advocate with more than a decade of experience in open source development and community building. She co-founded FOSSASIA in 2009, an organization that strives to improve people’s lives through sharing open technologies, increasing knowledge and fostering global connections and sustainable production. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Open Source Initiative, chairs the annual FOSSASIA Summit in Singapore, and organizes Open Tech Summits in countries, including Vietnam, India, China, Sri Lanka, and Germany.

Date & Time

November 18, 2020
(Wednesday)

8:00 – 9.30 pm (GMT+7)
Bangkok, Jakarta, Hanoi

9:00 – 10.30 pm (GMT+8)  
Singapore, Manila, Kuala Lumpur

Agenda

Times Detail
8:00 – 8:25 pm (25 minutes) Introduction & Launch of the Project
8:25 – 9:00 pm (35 minutes) Panel Discussion
9:00 – 9:30 pm (30 minutes) Q&A

Registration



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