Due to growing outrage over the recent coup in Myanmar, the military announced its second nationwide internet shutdown in a week’s time.
NetBlocks, which monitors internet traffic, said the blackout began today in the morning. “Myanmar is now in the midst of a second nation-scale internet blackout… real-time network data show national connectivity falling to 54% of ordinary levels as users report difficultly getting online,” it said.
Following this, thousands of people took to the streets of Yangon to demonstrate against the military coup. They also demanded the military to release the democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Earlier, the army had also blocked social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in the name of public interest.
In response to the move, Twitter said that it was “deeply concerned” about the order.
“It undermines the public conversation and the rights of people to make their voices heard… The Open Internet is increasingly under threat around the world. We will continue to advocate to end destructive government-led shutdowns,” a Twitter spokesperson said.
A spokesperson from Facebook said: “Telecom providers in Myanmar have been ordered to permanently block Instagram. We urge authorities to restore connectivity so that people in Myanmar can communicate with family and friends and access important information.”
The step to block Facebook, which is used by 53 million people in Myanmar, has been taken as a bid to quell dissent.
The military’s brazen power seize has drawn global condemnation. Not only, people of Myanmar, but the entire world is in a state of confusion.
It has massively hit the future prospect of the ASEAN Nations