SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook said Wednesday it had banned Myanmar’s military and military-controlled state and media entities from its platforms weeks after the military overthrew the country’s fragile democratic government.
The move plunged the social network directly into politics following the Myanmar coup – and left little doubt that it was taking sides in a political battle.
Facebook acted after years of criticizing the way the Myanmar military had used the site, including to stir up hatred against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya minority group in the country. Since the coup earlier this month that ousted civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and reduced Myanmar to full military rule, the military has repeatedly shut down the internet and cut access to major social media sites, including Facebook.
The social network took down the main Myanmar military news page and another state television network page a few days ago. It also removed official reports from senior Myanmar military leaders linked to the Rohingya violence in 2018. But there were many other military-linked pages online.
Now, by taking further action, Facebook has made it clear that it is passing political judgment. In a statement, the company said it banned ‘remaining’ accounts linked to the military because the coup was ‘an emergency’.
“Events since the Feb. 1 coup, including deadly violence, have made this ban necessary,” the company said. It added that the risks of letting the Myanmar military on Facebook and Instagram are “too great”. It said the military would be indefinitely banned.
The move underscores the difficulties Facebook faces with what it allows on its site. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, has long championed freedom of speech above all else, positioning the site as just a platform and technology service that wouldn’t stand in the way of governmental or social disputes.
But Mr. Zuckerberg is increasingly being scrutinized by lawmakers, regulators and users because of that stance and because he allows hate speech, disinformation and content inciting violence on Facebook to flourish.
Over time, Facebook has become more active about what is posted on its platform, especially in the last year with the US election. Last year, it cracked on pages and posts about the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. And last month, Facebook banned then-President Donald J. Trump from using the service, at least for the remainder of his term, after urging its supporters to take a stand against the election results, sparking an uprising in the U.S. . Capitol. Mr. Trump still cannot post on Facebook.
Many of these movements have been too little, too late, say critics.