LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya was a featured speaker at the World Press Freedom Day 2025 South Asia Regional Conference, held on May 4, 2025, in Nepal. Joining the event virtually, she contributed to the opening policy dialogue – press freedom in the AI era: a regional lens wide-ranging discussion which explored how AI intersects with democratic values, legal frameworks, and freedom of expression in South Asia. Moderated by Sabina Inderjit, Vice President, International Federation of Journalists, the panel also included speakers such as Pankaj Pachauri, Senior Journalist, India, Nalaka Gunawardene, Senior Journalist, Sri Lanka and Santosh Sigdel, Executive Director, Digital Rights Nepal. In her remarks, Helani addressed the growing dominance of large social media platforms and search engines in the distribution of news, and the profound impact this has had on traditional media. She highlighted how these shifts have disrupted the value chain, contributing to revenue losses and threatening the long-term sustainability of media houses. 
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya was a featured speaker at the World Press Freedom Day 2025 South Asia Regional Conference, held on May 4, 2025, in Nepal. Joining the event virtually, she contributed to the opening policy dialogue – press freedom in the AI era: a regional lens wide-ranging discussion which explored how AI intersects with democratic values, legal frameworks, and freedom of expression in South Asia. Moderated by Sabina Inderjit, Vice President, International Federation of Journalists, the panel also included speakers such as Pankaj Pachauri, Senior Journalist, India, Nalaka Gunawardene, Senior Journalist, Sri Lanka and Santosh Sigdel, Executive Director, Digital Rights Nepal. In her remarks, Helani addressed the growing dominance of large social media platforms and search engines in the distribution of news, and the profound impact this has had on traditional media. She highlighted how these shifts have disrupted the value chain, contributing to revenue losses and threatening the long-term sustainability of media houses. 
The ‘Human Development and the Data Revolution’ report, edited by Mark Graham, Sanna Ojanperä, and Eduardo López and published by Oxford University Press features LIRNEasia as a significant case study, detailing our establishment, research, challenges, and lessons learned in leveraging big data for public good in the Global South. Through the Chapter 7 “Leveraging Big Data for Public Purposes in the Global South: LIRNEasiaʼs Experiences”, the report highlights how LIRNEasia has pioneered the use of big data across the Asia-Pacific, offering valuable real-world experiences and a critical Global South perspective on data-driven development. LIRNEasia Research fellow Shazna Zuhyle and former team members of LIRNEasia Sriganesh Lokanathan and Thavisha Perera-Gomez have contributed to this report as authors. For a more comprehensive understanding of our work and the impact on public policy, readers are encouraged to read the report, specifically the Chapter 7. 
By Nethmi Rajawasam In a recent interview with The Morning newspaper, LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya discussed Sri Lanka’s progress in building digital public infrastructure, offering insights into innovative solutions and policy recommendations for enhancing government digital systems. Read the full interview to explore how Sri Lanka can leverage new approaches to achieve its digital ambitions. Before the United States’ US Digital Service (USDS) was renamed the United States DOGE Service (USDS)- in reference to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, the department was instrumental in improving government tech systems by bringing in private-sector expertise. Its recruits came from big-tech companies like Amazon and Google, for short, typically two-year long stints to work within public offices. The professionals ranged from engineers, product managers, and digital policy experts, recruited with the intent to help the government solve complex and technical challenges. 
LIRNEasia’s CEO Helani Galpaya, participated in the Canada-in-Asia 2025 (CAIC) Conference held in Singapore from February 19-21, 2025. The event, organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Universities Canada, brought together over 800 participants from across Canada and the Asia-Pacific region to discuss investment opportunities and strengthen ties between the two regions. The majority of attendees were from the private sector, though the conference also saw significant participation from Canada’s diplomatic corps in Asia, various Canadian government investment funds, and ministers from Asian countries. During the plenary session, Helani shared insights on research funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Canadian Crown Corporation that has supported key initiatives by LIRNEasia in the region. Her talk highlighted the impact of Canada’s development research investments across Asia, emphasizing IDRC’s proactive approach in funding. 
LIRNEasia participated in RightsCon 2025, the world’s largest gathering of digital rights leaders, held in Taipei and online from February 24 to 27, 2025. The event brought together business leaders, policymakers, human rights advocates, technologists, and academics to address the intersection of human rights and technology. As digital landscapes evolve, discussions at RightsCon focused on pressing issues such as data governance, AI regulation, and the future of work—topics that LIRNEasia’s CEO Helani Galpaya, and our Data, Algorithm, and Policy Team Lead Merl Chandana tackled in their panel contributions. Their insights highlighted the challenges facing the Global South and provided actionable strategies for policy and regulatory frameworks. “Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy: What Global Research Tells Us” CEO Helani Galpaya participated in two panels. 
සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම ඩිජිටල්කරණය කරන ලද රජයේ ගෙවීම් පද්ධතියක් රජය, බදු ගෙවන්නන්, සහ බැංකු වැනි මූල්ය ආයතන ඇතුළු සැමට ජයග්රහණයක් වන්නේ මන්දැයි LIRNEasia සභාපති මහාචාර්ය රොහාන් සමරජීව මහතා The Leaderහි පළවූ ඔහුගේ නවතම සිංහල ලිපියේ පැහැදිලි කර ඇත. සම්පූර්ණ ලිපිය කියවන්න. The article has been published under Prof. Samarajiva’s column in the Daily Mirror in English. You can read the English version as well if you prefer. 
The first session of the journal club for 2025 focused on the working paper ‘Digital Public Infrastructure: A Framework for Conceptualization and Measurement’ by David Eaves and Krisstina Rao, published by the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) on 27 January 2025. The paper aimed to conceptualize and measure digital public infrastructure (DPI), addressing its growing global policy relevance. Using a grounded theory approach, the study integrates insights from literature and expert interviews to offer two key contributions. A normative framework to trace the attributes of the concept, discussing its qualities in terms of technology, public-interest values, and the adoption context. A measurement framework to evaluate the presence of these attributes in real-world DPI implementations. 
In an insightful 50-minute discussion, Principal Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya sat down with LIRNEasia Chair Prof. Rohan Samarajiva to share his insights on the key priorities and challenges in shaping the nation’s digital transformation. From bridging the country’s digital skills gap and fostering a thriving innovation ecosystem to implementing effective policy reforms, the conversation explores the steps needed to propel Sri Lanka into a competitive position on the global digital stage. Both experts bring a wealth of experience in technology, telecom, and policy, offering a thought-provoking dialogue on what it takes to drive meaningful change. 
As of 2025 DAY 33, the satellite tracking website “Orbiting Now” lists 11,559 active satellites in various Earth orbits, each with missions including communications, Earth observation, technology development, navigation, space science, etc. These satellites provide us with an unprecedented view of Earth, enabling real-time monitoring and granular data collection. From tracking deforestation in the Amazon to monitoring agriculture yields across different continents, these ‘eyes in the sky’ generate a massive volume of data that gives valuable information about our planet’s health and human activities that have changed the natural earth’s surface. However, this sheer volume and complexity of such data lead us to an exciting question: How can we harness artificial intelligence (AI) to make sense of this vast array of satellite imagery? Let’s explore this intersection of satellite imagery and AI, by understanding the unique characteristics of satellite data, the challenges in processing it, and the potential solutions with deep learning. 
The Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka (IGF Sri Lanka) 2024 took place in Colombo in December 2024, marking a significant step in Sri Lanka’s journey toward inclusive and collaborative Internet governance. Hosted by the Lanka School of Internet Governance (LKSIG), this two-day event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, civil society, academics, and the technical community to discuss critical aspects of Internet policy, accessibility, and governance. A key session during the forum focused on bridging the digital divide and promoting digital inclusion for marginalized communities, particularly persons with disabilities (PWDs). Moderated by Prof. Anuradha Jayakody, Head of the Department of Computer Systems Engineering, the session provided a platform for thought leaders to share insights and strategies for equitable digital participation. 
In 2024, we proudly celebrated 20 years of impactful work— advancing research, catalyzing policy change, and improving lives across Asia and the Pacific through innovative solutions and technology. Our journey continues as we embrace new challenges and opportunities to create even greater impact. Wishing you all the best for 2025! 
What is meant by data governance? What laws/policies are countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia bringing in to protect data privacy? How are different countries in the region tackling possible conflicts between the needs for data privacy and the right to information? These were some of the concepts discussed at the online training on ‘Influencing Data Governance Policy in South and South East Asia,’ organized recently by LIRNEasia. The training which was organized under the ‘Harnessing Data for Development in South and Southeast Asia’ https://lirneasia. 
LIRNEasia hosted a forum on December 7, 2024, titled “Unlocking Data for Artificial Intelligence in Sri Lanka” at the ITC Ratnadipa Hotel, Colombo. The event brought together AI experts, data scientists, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore practical ways to leverage data and artificial intelligence for informed decision-making and meaningful societal and organizational impact. The session featured several examples of successful and unsuccessful data projects from around the world, offering insights into practical challenges, best practices for initiating data projects, and the importance of addressing ethical concerns and trade-offs in data and AI initiatives. Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, Chair of LIRNEasia, opened the session by highlighting the organization’s ongoing work with AI and machine learning to address societal and policy issues. 
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to enhance public services and drive innovation within Sri Lanka’s public sector. At the AI Asia Summit 2024 in Colombo, Merl Chandana, Research Manager and head of the Data, Algorithms, and Policy (DAP) team at LIRNEasia, shared insights on how the government can harness AI effectively and responsibly. Speaking on a panel titled “AI for National Economic Growth and Innovation: enhancing services and driving efficiency,” Merl outlined key considerations for adopting AI in ways that truly benefit citizens. Practical steps for AI adoption in public services Merl emphasized that while AI offers vast possibilities, public sector adoption must be both strategic and phased. After highlighting a few ongoing AI pilot initiatives in Sri Lanka’s public sector, he noted that these projects often begin with a strong data foundation and empowered decision-makers with deep expertise in their fields. 
In the world of technology, programming errors—whether stemming from minor oversights or fundamental misunderstandings—can have catastrophic consequences. From the tragic failure of spacecraft missions to the collapse of critical infrastructures, history is filled with examples where a simple bug or miscalculation triggered massive disasters. These incidents not only demonstrate the fallibility of even the most advanced systems but also serve as stark reminders of the importance of precision in software development. For taxpayers, these failures often have an additional sting: they represent not just wasted opportunities, but the loss of significant public funds. In this article, we’ll examine four infamous cases where programming errors caused monumental failures and uncover the crucial lessons they offer for developers, engineers, and, ultimately, taxpayers who foot the bill. 
This report is one of the final outputs of an IDRC-funded project to 1) understand election influence operations and measures to counter disinformation globally, especially pertaining to Asia; 2) map actors who are involved in election-related counter-disinformation actions in five countries in South and Southeast Asia, and 3) document their past and upcoming activities related to countering disinformation around elections. This research report was intended to lay the groundwork for a network of actors systematically working towards countering disinformation related to elections in Vietnam and document the impact of their actions. A set of recommendations were also introduced to mitigate impacts of election disinformation on the upcoming 2026 election in Vietnam.