Projecting norms, protecting power: decoding state rhetoric and disinformation governance in India and Indonesia

This paper analyzes how India and Indonesia, two of the most populous countries in the Indo-Pacific, characterize and mitigate disinformation. By comparing state rhetoric at key United Nations forums (the OEWG and the Ad Hoc Committee) against regional guidelines and domestic legislative measures, we identify a shift toward “digital sovereignty.” While both nations champion human rights globally, their domestic frameworks typify disinformation as a national security threat and enable centrally coordinated content control. This study concludes that these state-led information environments pose significant challenges to the right to free expression and complicate global cooperation.