Who should govern the digital public sphere: governments, Big Tech—or citizens themselves?
In this episode of the SADF Podcast, Tapas Kanti Baul speaks with Professor Subhajit Basu, Professor of Law and Technology at the University of Leeds, about the growing struggle over Big Tech regulation in South Asia.
The conversation examines how platforms such as Meta, Google, TikTok and X increasingly shape public debate, protest movements, elections and access to information across the region. It also explores the risks posed by data concentration, algorithmic bias, deepfakes, hate speech, disinformation and online abuse.
At the same time, the episode asks whether regulation can become dangerous in its own right. Professor Basu warns that laws designed to protect users can also enable surveillance, censorship and digital authoritarianism if they are vague, politically controlled or enforced without independent oversight. The discussion therefore focuses on a central democratic dilemma: how can South Asian states regulate powerful technology companies without undermining freedom of expression, privacy, innovation and political dissent?
The episode also highlights the importance of independent regulators, meaningful civil-society participation and safeguards for journalists, minorities, activists and other vulnerable users.
Tags:
#BigTech #SouthAsia #DigitalGovernance #Democracy #FreedomOfExpression #DataProtection #Privacy #AI #AlgorithmicBias #Disinformation #DigitalRights #CyberLaw #OnlineSafety #DigitalAuthoritarianism #CivilSociety #SADF
Click ‘Download PDF’ for the podcast’s edited transcript!
