Marking its launch the Digital Accountability Collective South Asia calls for stronger platform governance and user protection

South Asia, despite being home to one-fourth of the world’s population and a dynamic hub for tech innovation and burgeoning digital economies, has been consistently overlooked by global funders and tech corporations. Our region is often left grappling with the dual challenge of uneven policies of platforms and emerging authoritarian state regulations that increasingly undermine fundamental freedoms. The lack of context-specific protections provided by tech platforms adds to the unequal and unsafe online experiences for millions in our region, particularly among vulnerable communities. Furthermore, intermediary intervention in the South Asian region leads to a significant lack of meaningful engagement with the communities most affected by rapid technological proliferation and uneven governance.

In January 2025, Digitally Right (Bangladesh), Digital Rights Foundation (Pakistan), and Hashtag Generation (Sri Lanka) convened in Colombo and the Digital Accountability Collective South Asia (DACSA) emerged from a shared commitment to address pressing concerns regarding platform governance, accountability, and the broader impact of existing and emerging technologies in South Asia. 

Our collective mission centers on ensuring that tech platforms operate in a manner that is transparent, equitable, and safeguards the rights of all users, particularly those from marginalized communities. We aim to present a unified voice from South Asia with a nuanced understanding of the impact of platform policies and stringent state regulations on our communities. The coalition also aims to learn, understand, contribute, and influence change at regional and local levels, and amplify the voices of civil society working on digital rights and tech justice across South Asia. DACSA will encourage collaboration among groups working in South Asia on digital rights in order to build a regional movement to influence platforms and state policies which are inconsistent with the international human rights framework. Together, we seek to create mechanisms that hold platforms and states accountable while empowering communities with skills, tools and frameworks to navigate the digital world safely and equitably.

As three organizations who have been working with stakeholders for the promotion of digital equity and safety in our respective countries for several years, we also represent and seek to highlight the combined weight that Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have in the South Asian tech space/audience. The coalition aims to come forth as the first step in a wider South Asian collective that brings together the concerns and wealth of experience of three organizations who have been working on the ground to foster equality and safety in online spaces and hold tech platforms accountable.

DACSA expresses grave concern over the growing trend among social media and tech corporations to enact drastic policy changes, reportedly influenced by commitments to align with the current US administration’s priorities. These shifts, which include delegitimising fact checking and dismantling safeguards for marginalized communities risk exacerbating misinformation, political instability, communal violence, and democratic backsliding in regions like South Asia. 

The erosion of accountability mechanisms, including protections for gender and marginalized identities, blatantly disregards the severe offline consequences of online hate speech and discrimination. By outsourcing enforcement to flawed user-reporting systems and abandoning proactive safeguards, tech companies disproportionately burden vulnerable communities already grappling with systemic harassment and violence. Such actions reveal a troubling prioritization of corporate and political interests over regional safety and equity. We urge all social media and tech companies to halt this dangerous trajectory and engage meaningfully with civil society to develop policies that prioritize user well-being. In South Asia, where digital platforms increasingly dictate political discourse and public safety for millions, the stakes of these profit-driven experiments are intolerably high. 

As a collective, we at DACSA remain committed to closely monitoring the evolving digital landscape in South Asia and advocating for stronger, community-driven approaches to tech justice. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that the voices and experiences of those most affected are centered in shaping the region’s digital future.