Facebook bans all Myanmar military-linked accounts and ads

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Social media giant Facebook has announced it is banning all accounts linked to Myanmar’s military as well as ads from military-controlled companies in the wake of the army’s seizure of power on Feb. 1. It said it was treating the post-coup situation in Myanmar as an “emergency,” explaining that the ban was precipitated by events since the coup, including “deadly violence.” Facebook had already banned several military-linked accounts since the coup, including army-controlled Myawaddy TV and state television broadcaster MRTV. Facebook and other social media platforms came under enormous criticism in 2017 when rights groups said they failed to do enough to stop hate speech against Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority.