Facebook restricts Myanmar military accounts for spreading misinformation

The social media giant, which has tens of millions of users in the country, released a statement stating that it is treating the situation in Myanmar as an "emergency", adding that it would reduce the distribution of content on all pages run by the army. 

Facebook has also temporarily suspended official channels reserved for sending requests to the company to remove content. In a blog post, Rafael Frankel, one of the directors of policy, said this was done to protect political speech and expression by the people of Myanmar.

Among the pages restricted by Facebook are the Tatmadaw Information Team's page, along with another one run by Tatmadaw spokesperson General Zaw Min Tun. Tatmadaw is the name most often used for the army.

Facebook's announcement comes a week after the coup in which civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi were detained. Internet and news services across the country remain disrupted. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are part of the internet block, although all three remain accessible through VPNs.