When junta supporters and the Myanmar military were removed from Facebook after last year’s coup, they switched to the less regulated Telegram social network, which is based in Russia, reports Radio Free Asia.
Military authorities now use Telegram both to disseminate junta propaganda and for intelligence from supporters who list the profiles, activities and locations of pro-democracy celebrities, anti-junta activists, journalists and rights activists. Authorities have come to rely on the online information to help them plan crackdowns on anti-junta activists nationwide.
Burma Campaign UK added Telegram to its blacklist of businesses over the links to the Myanmar military, saying that the company allows military propagandists to use its platform and allows the spread of hate speech.