YouTube has now removed five Myanmar military channels from its platform on Friday 5th March 2021 according to Reuters. The channels include the government-run Myanma Radio and Television (MRTV) network and the military-owned Myawaddy Media used to spread military propaganda in Myanmar.
“We have terminated a number of channels and removed several videos from YouTube in accordance with our community guidelines and applicable laws,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. YouTube had also terminated 34 channels used as “influence operations” during Myanmar’s election in 2020, per Reuters.
The country’s military staged a coup in February 2021 leaving at least 38 dead after crackdowns on protesters.
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Facebook like YouTube similarly tried to reduce the military’s influence in Myanmar. The company banned all military pages on its platforms in February 2021; and cut off the organization’s access to ads on its platform according to The New York Times.
Myanmar’s military retaliated by banning Facebook, drastically limiting access to all social networks by enacting regular internet curfews across the country since the beginning of the coup, according to NetBlocks.
The army seized power on 1st February 2021, alleging mass fraud in the November election won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. The election commission says the vote was fair, but the military has used media to make its case and justify the coup.
Reports say that Myanmar soldiers and police were using TikTok to deliver death threats to protesters according to Reuters.
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