madam professor

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Murdoch University, tells TIME. Access to the Internet is also creating a culture

of dissent that crosses borders. Demonstators in Vietnam sport red shirts to

mimic supporters of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose

populist policies they venerate, while ubiquitous Vfor Vendetta Guy Fawkes

masks point to a shared yearning for transparency.

Karin Karlekar, director of the annual Freedom of the Press report by Freedom

House, sees "definite parallels" with the Arab Spring, where social media was key

in heralding regime change. "It's not surprising that governments are seeking to

clamp down on this as people are being mobilized by the media," she says. The

mounting discord has led to new curbs on the Internet in the countries concerned.

Besides the Vietnzlmese crackdown, there has been a ban in Cambodia on Internet

caf6s within 500 m of schools. Malaysian Internet intermediaries have meanwhile

been made legally accountable for material that disseminates through their

systems, including wi-fi terminals

Stricter media controls are also being applied elsewhere in the region. New

licensing rules governing online news led 150 Singapore websites to black out in

protest last month, and brought more than2,000 demonstrators to the streets (an

exceptional sight in the tightly run city-state.) The Philippines Cybercrime

Prevention Act of 2012 was suspended amid public clamor that it threatened free

speech, and a replacement draft has also been widely condemned. Thailand has

seen a spike in ldse majest6 prosecutions and Internet censorship - 20,978 URLs

were blocked last year compared with just 5,078 inZ}ll, according to the

country's i-Law monitoring group - with a "chilling effect on freedom of

expression throughout Thai society," writes Frank La Rue, U.N. special

rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.