Security News > 2021 > February > Myanmar’s new military government bans Facebook

The new self-appointed military government of Myanmar has temporarily banned Facebook.

Newswire Reuters' Myanmar reporter Hnin Zaw posted a notice from Myanmar's Ministry of Transport and Communications that imposed a ban until February 7th. Using optical character recognition and online translation tools, The Register surmises that the order says the ban is needed to stop the spread of fake news.

Update: Facebook products are now restricted on multiple internet providers in #Myanmar as operators comply with an apparent blocking order.

Facebook has reportedly put Myanmar on a watchlist, in order to detect and delete content urging violence.

The Social Network™ is very widely used in Myanmar so the ban will stop the spread of all news and make it hard for citizens to communicate.

Ironically, the coup has also seen some communications restrictions lifted in Myanmar, including those imposed on a town in a district that is home to large numbers of the Rohingya ethnic minority that seeks the creation of an autonomous region and has been the subject of violent suppression.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/02/04/myanmar_facebook_ban/