Tech Wire Asia: The revolution in Myanmar, Thailand will be digitized. “Taking inspiration from the protest movements first in Hong Kong, then in Taiwan and neighboring Thailand, youth activists in Myanmar have been inspired to join the digital #MilkTeaAlliance online campaign that is uniting pro-democracy protestors across Asia.”
NIKKEI Asia: Myanmar junta targets 100 celebrities active on social media. “Myanmar’s junta has placed at least 100 celebrities on its wanted list for allegedly inciting protests against its seizure of power, taking aim at those with big social media followings. Since Friday, the nightly news on state television has named 20 prominent figures accused of violating the law. The list is later reprinted the next day in a government-controlled newspaper. The list swelled to 100 on Tuesday night.”
Voice of America: Global TB Fight Set Back 12 Years by COVID Pandemic, Doctors Warn. “In nine countries with a high prevalence of TB — including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Tajikistan and Ukraine — diagnosis and treatment fell by an average of 23%, according to analysis by the Stop TB Partnership, a non-profit hosted by the United Nations in Geneva.”
Rest of World: TikTok is repeating Facebook’s mistakes in Myanmar. “Activists and experts told Rest of World that TikTok’s failures were distressingly familiar to anyone acquainted with how Facebook was used to help drive an ethnic-cleansing campaign in Myanmar in the 2010s. Members of the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, spread misinformation across the platform, stoking division, hatred, and, eventually, violence. In 2018, United Nations human rights experts said that unchecked hate speech on Facebook contributed to the genocide against the country’s Rohingya minority.”
Channel News Asia: Commentary: Social media worsens growing anti-China sentiments in Southeast Asia. “It might be easy to dismiss the Milk Tea Alliance as a Gen-Z Internet joke. But the meme is successful in tapping into something deeper in the collective consciousness of a region that is famously diverse and defiant of collective action. It taps into discontent with the regional decline of democracy and fears about the rise of China as a hegemonic power. There is a bigger picture beyond the protests in Myanmar. The country fits a broader pattern of recent years in which disparate protests in Southeast Asia, triggered by different events, exhibit undercurrents of anxiety about the growing influence of China.”
Euronews: Myanmar has endured more than a month of nightly internet shutdowns. “Myanmar has endured nightly internet shutdowns for more than a month as anti-coup demonstrations continue. Since the military seized power and detained elected leaders on February 1, at least 149 people have been killed, according to the UN. On Tuesday night, internet access in Myanmar was shut down for the 31st consecutive night, according to internet monitoring service Netblocks.”
BBC: Myanmar coup: YouTube removes channels run by army amid violence. “YouTube has removed five channels run by Myanmar’s military amid ongoing violence following a coup last month. The video-sharing platform said on Friday that it had removed the channels in line with its community guidelines.”
GlobalVoices: Myanmar illustrators unite to distribute protest art for free. “A group of 30 artists from Myanmar uploaded more than a hundred protest posters… for free print and use by those rallying against the military coup….The collective noticed that protesters were bringing placards with the illustrators’ art to demonstrations, and indeed many artists had shared their poster designs online for free.”
AP: EXPLAINER: Why is Facebook banning Myanmar military pages?. “Facebook announced Thursday that it is removing all remaining Myanmar military and military-controlled pages from its site and from Instagram, which it also owns. It said it will also block advertising from military-linked businesses. The decision follows a Feb. 1 coup in which the military removed elected leaders from power and jailed others.”
Business Insider: Google has pulled down a propaganda blog backing the military coup in Myanmar after outcry by online activists. “Google has pulled down a propaganda blog supporting the military coup in Myanmar after the blog was discovered by an online activist this week. The blog was managed and hosted via the Google-owned Blogger platform under the URL seniorgeneralminaunghlaing.com, taking its name from the Myanmar military leader who has seized control of the country.”
Sydney Morning Herald: Myanmar army hunts protest backers over social media comments . “Myanmar’s army is hunting for seven well-known supporters of protests against this month’s coup and they face charges over comments on social media that threaten national stability, the army said on Saturday. Among those named was Min Ko Naing, a one-time leader of bloodily suppressed protests in 1988, who has made calls supporting the street demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign.”
Euronews: Myanmar coup: Junta blocks internet as well as social media amid growing anti-coup protests . “Myanmar’s new military authorities appeared to have cut most access to the internet on Saturday as they faced a rising tide of protest over their coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government.”
Reuters: After Facebook ban, thousands in Myanmar take to Twitter to plead #RespectOurVotes. “Since Myanmar’s new military rulers imposed a temporary blockade on Facebook on Thursday, thousands in the Southeast Asian country have joined Twitter, according to app downloads and a Reuters estimate.”
BBC: Myanmar coup: How Facebook became the ‘digital tea shop’. “As Myanmar’s military seized control in a coup on 1 February, many Burmese watched events unfold on Facebook in real-time. It’s the primary source of information and news, where businesses operate and how authorities disseminate vital information. Its ubiquity has meant it plays an outsized role in what information is amplified and its real-world impact.”
EurekAlert: Social media use by young people in conflict-ridden Myanmar. “Myanmar youth rely heavily on Facebook for news and information. This can be a platform for disseminating fake news and hate speech. With poor digital literacy skills, these youths may be susceptible to disinformation campaigns and other online dangers, according to the peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.”
