As Cambodia boosts internet gateway, critics fear increased surveillance on dissidents
- Once fully operational, Cambodia’s new National Internet Gateway will channel all traffic through a single entry point controlled by the government
- It is the latest move by ruler Hun Sen to clamp down on dissent in a country that has arrested dozens for online posts in recent years, critics say
Cambodia is powering up its new National Internet Gateway, a move activists say will allow the government to further silence the country’s embattled opposition voices.
United Nations rights experts warn the gateway, which will funnel all web traffic through a state-controlled entry point from February 16, will have a “devastating” effect on privacy and free speech.
It is the latest move by authoritarian ruler Hun Sen to clamp down on dissent in a country that has arrested dozens for online posts in recent years, critics say.
As his music clocked up millions of views on YouTube, plain-clothes police came knocking in September 2020. “They kept asking who was backing me?”
He was arrested and convicted of incitement, spending a year behind bars, and now fears the new gateway will lead to more people suffering the same fate.
“It will be difficult to freely express opinions,” he said. “They arrested me in order to intimidate others.”