Half of the world population now live under authoritarianism where their governments have increasingly abused or co-opted social media platforms to suppress dissent. What are the latest innovations in autocrats’ censorship toolkit? Are big tech companies enabling authoritarian control? And which initiatives have grassroots dissidents launched to foster a safe and inclusive civic space? This talk will unpack these inter-connected topics by highlighting global examples as well as unique cases from Southeast Asia, a largely authoritarian region that is witnessing rapid growth in digital industry.