This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social cohesion in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and broader South Asia. The AHA! project is implemented by a consortium of project partners, including the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers/Finn Church Aid, World Faiths Development Dialogue, the Center for Peace and Justice – Brac University, the Center for Communication and Development of Bangladesh, Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Youth Development Foundation, and Sarvodaya.

South Asian governments are working to limit harmful online misinformation related to COVID-19. False claims circulating, especially, through social media platforms and messaging apps cause confusion, mistrust, and conflict, hindering the public health response and heightening communal tensions. However, restricting misinformation without undermining civil liberties requires carefully crafted policies and legislation. Freedom of expression and minority rights were threatened in the region before the COVID-19 crisis,1 and recent government actions, purportedly to support public health and national security, accentuate the challenges and disenfranchise vulnerable populations. Unchecked misinformation and steadily increasing authoritarian measures both represent significant dangers.

This brief examines legal measures to curb misinformation in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, including the broad and often discriminatory provisions that target critics and minorities during the pandemic. It provides an overview of state-led responses to misinformation and the broader ramifications of recent legal measures for freedom of expression and human rights in the region. The brief is addressed to policy makers, civil society actors, and technology corporations, and offers options for countering false claims linked to the pandemic, while preserving freedom of expression.