Surveillance, privacy and the shrinking space for dissent in South Asia

by Aditi Singh

Across South Asia, the space for dissent is being reshaped not only by laws and police action, but also by cameras, servers and algorithms. What once required physical force now often happens quietly through digital surveillance, internet shutdowns and control of data. The tools are new, but the logic is old. Information is managed, people are monitored and protest becomes more risky.

India is the clearest example of this trend. In recent years, reports by organizations like Access Now / the “#KeepItOn” coalition have repeatedly shown that India orders more internet shutdowns than any other democracy. These shutdowns have been imposed during protests, elections and local unrest in many states. These actions disrupt the livelihoods of people dependent on mobile data for work, banking and welfare — turning shutdowns into immediate economic shocks and tools of isolation. 

At the same time surveillance capacity is expanding. Reports from digital-rights organisations show growing deployment of facial recognition systems, CCTV networks and large identity databases — often without robust legal oversight. 

In many protests — whether against citizenship laws or agrarian policies — demonstrators have reported use of drones, high-resolution cameras, phone tracking and targeted shutdowns. When individuals know their faces or phones can be scanned or flagged, joining a protest becomes a decision weighed in fear.

Shutdowns are increasingly used not only to curb protests but for local administrative control, exam security, communal conflicts or public order claims. When the internet is cut, activists struggle to coordinate, journalists lose contact, families face isolation — in many regions, shutdowns have become a default method of control. 

These patterns are not confined to one state. Survey data from across South Asia and global reports note a growing sense of fear among citizens about digital expression: many now avoid speaking out online due to threats of surveillance and content take down. 

Content takedown pressures and online censorship further tighten the constriction of dissent. Recent annual reports show increasing demands on platforms to remove posts critical of government policy or protest coverage. During the pandemic, posts criticizing state response or highlighting health-system failures were sometimes taken down after official complaints — at a time when people used social media to seek oxygen, beds and medicines. 

Even institutions like universities have adopted surveillance infrastructure. When a prominent central university in Delhi attempted to install facial-recognition access systems in common spaces, students strongly opposed it — calling it a “dictatorial imposition” that threatened academic and political freedom. 

This expansion of digital control happens in societies already marked by deep inequality. Surveillance rarely lands evenly. Marginalized communities, religious minorities, migrants and protesters are more likely to be over-policed and under-protected. AI-guided policing tools and data systems globally — and potentially in South Asia — often reinforce existing patterns of discrimination rather than correcting them. 

But the story is not only one of control. Civil society organizations, independent journalists and digital rights activists are pushing back — challenging unlawful surveillance, documenting shutdowns, and demanding data protection laws with oversight and transparency. People are also finding creative workarounds — using secure messaging apps, VPNs, and other digital tools — to claim space for dissent despite disruptions.

Digital tools themselves are not the enemy. CCTV, data systems and AI can play positive roles in city planning, security, disaster response or public service delivery. The problem arises when they are used without safeguards, consent or fairness. In societies under strain, digital systems often tilt toward control rather than care.

South Asia stands at a critical juncture. The region needs to decide if its digital infrastructure will strengthen democracy and protect dissent or quietly hollow out free expression. Surveillance and shutdowns may be less visible than baton charges, but they shift how people think, speak and organize — slowly severing the roots of democratic engagement. Defending the right to dissent in the digital age means treating connectivity, privacy and data protection as core democratic issues — not technical footnotes.

References

“India: Internet Shutdowns Hurt Vulnerable Communities”, Human Rights Watch, 13 June 2023 — https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/13/india-internet-shutdowns-hurt-vulnerable-communities 

“No Internet Means No Work, No Pay, No Food — Internet Shutdowns Deny Access to Basic Rights in ‘Digital India’”, HRW & Internet Freedom Foundation, June 2023 — https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/06/14/no-internet-means-no-work-no-pay-no-food/internet-shutdowns-deny-access-basic 

“India leads the world internet shutdown count for 2024 with 84 shutdowns” (report on Access Now / KeepItOn), 25 February 2025 — https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/india-internet-shutdowns-2024-access-now-report-9853978/ 

“Internet freedom in India remained under strain — Freedom on the Net 2024”, Freedom House — https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/freedom-net/2024 

“Curtains over connectivity: a peek behind India’s opaque internet shutdown orders”, Oxford Human Rights Hub, May 2024 — https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/curtains-over-connectivity-a-peek-behind-indias-opaque-internet-shutdown-orders/