By Mong Palatino, IFEX Internet restrictions, AI-driven disinformation, and mass arrests have intensified ahead of major elections across Asia. These attacks undermine freedom of expression at a time when elections are supposed to restore or strengthen democratic rule and counter authoritarianism in the region. In 2023, several laws and regulations were updated in the region and eventually used as tools of censorship during election periods. Bangladesh passed the Cyber Security Act in September, which critics dismissed as a mere renaming of the Digital Security Act, a draconian law used to det…