In Myanmar, Facebook essentially is the internet — and, by extension, the only source of information — for some 20 million people, according to BSR’s estimates. The report warns that this could continue to be a problem for Facebook, especially during the country’s general elections in 2020. New problems could also arise related to WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Facebook that is becoming popular in Myanmar. In India’s recent elections, some WhatsApp messages were used to incite tensions while others were found to be false. Myanmar military officials were behind a systematic campaign on Facebook to target a mostly Muslim Rohingya minority, an investigation by The New York Times found.

Source: New York Times November 06, 2018 15:19 UTC