8 February 2019

Facebook has blacklisted four more of Myanmar's ethnic rebel groups...as it struggles to control rampant hate speech, misinformation and incitement on its platform.

...The latest rebel organisations to have been banned are the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA).

"These armed groups are now banned from Facebook and all related praise, support and representation will be removed as soon as we become aware of it," Facebook's news page said.

"There is clear evidence that these organisations have been responsible for attacks against civilians and have engaged in violence in Myanmar, and we want to prevent them from using our services to further inflame tensions on the ground."

...Facebook told AFP that the government had flagged up content posted by the rebel groups several times but said the decision to blacklist them had been internal.

The platform has tried to repair its battered reputation, improving the speed with which hate speech is taken down and boosting the number of Myanmar-language reviewers.

It confirmed it now employs more than 100 staff who speak Myanmar – including some who can also review content in Shan and Chin languages.

Critics say, however, that the number is still insufficient to monitor the volume of accounts in the country, many in a patchwork of regional languages.