On December 15, 2021, the American Bar Association (ABA) and LAWASIA coordinated a joint dialogue, examining the challenges legal communities face because of the adoption of laws designed to present the spread of fake news and doxing and what bar associations might do to address those challenges. Freedom of Speech, Expression and Personal Privacy - Fake News & Doxing Laws, the second in a series of four dialogues, centered around the legitimate interests that such laws are intended to address, and the need for those interests to be balanced against the rights of individuals, both bar members and the public, for free speech and access to information.
The session, which was attended by 70 lawyers, academics, judges and others from across Asia and the world, included a comprehensive regional overview by Phil Robertson, Deputy Director Asia for Human Rights Watch, with Robert Pang SC and Oliver Reyes providing a deeper dive into the situation regarding Anti-Doxing Laws in Hong Kong and Fake News regulations in the Philippines respectively.