Restrict Internet, Myanmar Claims Facebook And WhatsApp Can Trigger Violence

Military coup protest (DailyStar)

JAKARTA - As a result of the ongoing coup, the Myanmar military government has instructed various mobile operators to turn off Facebook access until February 7. Not only Facebook, other service applications include Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

A number of Mark Zuckerberg's social media users reported via the Reddit forum that they were no longer able to access Facebook via their respective cellphones on Wednesday, February 3.

Facebook is aware of this action by the Myanmar government, so the company has pressed for access to Facebook and its affiliates to reopen. The company from the United States provides an excuse so that people can send word to one another in this chaotic situation.

Launching Tech Crunch, the Myanmar government blocks Facebook and its affiliated companies are considered to have contributed to making the country unstable. The social media from the US was accused of causing violence. The Myanmar government also said that this step was taken to protect various interests of the people and the state.

The Myanmar government accuses Facebook of being too negligent in anticipating the spread of false information leading to violence in the country. Previously, Facebook was accused of instigating divisions and could lead to violence that occurred in Myanmar in 2018.

According to a report from Access Now, Facebook users in Myanmar number 22 million. "Facebook is an important tool for Myanmar citizens to organize and share information."

This coup was the result of a victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD). It is Aung San Suu Kyu who heads the NLD in the general elections which take place in November 2020.