The coup leaders also want to prevent Burmese journalists from communicating with the outside world. The military also introduced a draft cybersecurity law that would impose draconian rules and allow the government access to user data.Īs protest grows, the aim of the shutdown is to instill fear and to prevent people from communicating, organizing protest or accessing vital information. The coup leaders have now imposed daily near-total internet shutdowns, according to Netblocks, and many Western social media platforms are blocked. Local journalists reported that they had been logged off platforms such as Telegram and Signal. Almost instantly, access to mobile and internet services were restricted. When the Burmese military staged a coup on February 1, the coup leaders were well aware of the power of the internet in their country.

In 2018, the United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar concluded that the popular social media platform had played a determining role in the genocide against the Rohingya. The New Light of Myanmar stated in 2013 that, in Myanmar, “a person without a Facebook identity is like a person without a home address.” While Burmese people were finally able to enjoy freedom of speech and information, the consequences could also be devastating. Social media platforms became the main source of information and communication. As of mid-February 2021, there are 29 million social media users, equivalent to 53 percent of the population.įor a country that had experienced years of censorship, this new connectivity was a revolution. As internet connectivity grew, so did mobile services and social media. Almost as soon as the country opened up to the world, internet penetration began to rise, increasing over the next decade from 0.25 percent in 2010 to 41 percent in 2020, thanks to the arrival of international communication companies, including from China.

After 50 years of political and economic isolation, Myanmar embarked on a hopeful period of transition in 2011, which culminated in the election of a civilian government in 2015.

Why is rules of survival shutting down