Myanmar government orders internet providers to block Facebook - Android

In a letter posted by the Ministry of Communications and Information, Facebook will be blocked until February 7 to help things become stable.

Many Facebook users in Myanmar revealed that they couldn’t access the social media giant’s services.

Netblocks, a network monitoring group, confirmed that state-owned telecom MPT had blocked Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. MPT currently has 23 million subscribers.

Telenor Asa of Norway also said that they had blocked Facebook and its other services to comply with the government’s directive.

Andy Stone, a spokesman from Facebook, has acknowledged the situation. In a statement, he said that Facebook urges the Myanmar government to restore the access so its people can communicate with their friends and families and access vital information.

Blocking Facebook have huge effects on the people of Myanmar, with 53 million of them using it.

One Myanmar ISP, Telenor, did express its concerns about the directive, which was sent to all ISPs and mobile operators last Wednesday.

As per Telenor, although the directive is legal, they do not believe that it’s based on proportionality and necessity per the international human rights law.

However, as per the country’s Communications Ministry, the people who are “troubling the country’s stability” use Facebook to spread misinformation and fake news that causes misunderstanding among people.

This week, Facebook announced that they are treating Myanmar’s situation as an emergency and taking the right measures like removing posts and contents that support the coup.

Via: Rappler

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