Facebook ban Myanmar military page after coup against Aung San Suu Kyi

Facebook’s platform was previously “used to foment division and incite offline violence” in the country which is now in the grip of a military coup.

Facebook has removed a page of the Myanmar military, currently conducting a coup against the elected government, in a country where just over two years ago the social media company admitted its platform had been used to incite violence against the Rohingya minority.

Facebook took the page down on Sunday due to its policies prohibiting the incitement of violence.

It came a day after two people were killed at protests against the coup.

“In line with our global policies, we’ve removed the Tatmadaw True News Information Team Page from Facebook for repeated violations of our Community Standards prohibiting incitement of violence and co-ordinating harm,” Facebook’s product policy manager for human rights and freedom of expression Alex Warofka said on Twitter.

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This morning, in line with our global policies, we removed the Tatmadaw True News Information Team Page from @Facebook for repeated violations of our Community Standards prohibiting incitement of violence and coordinating harm. #Myanmar

— Alex Warofka (@AlexWarofka) February 21, 2021

Protesters shout slogans while marching with a banner in Yangon, Myanmar. Picture: Hkun Lat/Getty Images

Riot police arrive to form a barricade to block anti-coup protesters. Picture: Hkun Lat/Getty Images

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The Myanmar military is known as the Tatmadaw.

Facebook has previously drawn condemnation for failing to act while its platform was “being used to foment division and incite offline violence” in Myanmar.

“We agree that we can and should do more,” Mr Warofka said in November 2018, announcing a report from an “independent assessment of the human rights impact of Facebook in Myanmar” conducted by Business for Social Responsibility.

The report “also examines the complex social and political context in Myanmar, which includes a population that has fast come online, a legal framework that does not reflect universal human rights principles, and cultural, religious, and ethnic tension,” Mr Warofka said.

The report Facebook commissioned found that “in this environment … Facebook alone cannot bring about the broad changes needed to address the human rights situation in Myanmar”.

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A woman checks her Facebook in Yangon as Myanmar’s generals ordered internet providers to restrict access to the platform, days after they seized power earlier this month. Picture: STR/AFP

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“Members of the Myanmar military were the prime operatives behind a systematic campaign on Facebook that stretched back half a decade and that targeted the country’s mostly Muslim Rohingya minority group,” the New York Timesreported in 2018.

On February 1, the Myanmar military deposed the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, alleging election fraud.

“There was terrible fraud in the voter list during the democratic general election,” General Min Aung Hlaing alleged on television after seizing power.

Ms Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, secured more than 80 per cent of the seats at the election last year.

Originally published as Facebook ban Myanmar military page after coup against Aung San Suu Kyi