On May 16, Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFENET), an organization initiated by ICT Watch, and EngageMedia hosted a discussion on digital rights issues and screened Citizenfour movie in Jakarta, Indonesia. Citizenfour, a documentary film released in 2014, outlines the events surrounding Edward Snowden’s NSA whistleblowing. The film investigated the NSA’s mass collection of public data, and the lack of oversight and transparency in the process. Discussion following the film focused on how everyday citizens can safeguard themselves against privacy intrusions.
Members of the public focused on state sponsored surveillance in the Asian cultural context, where privacy often takes up a different meaning than Western conceptions of the term. Participants cited different parameters for privacy as shedding light on the manner in which users interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.
