Facebook removes pages of top Myanmar military official, others

Reuters ^ | Antoni Slodkowski

[BenLurkin]

Facebook’s action means an essential blackout of the military’s main channel of public communication, with pages followed by millions of people in a country where the social media giant is virtually synonymous with the internet.

“Specifically, we are banning 20 Burmese individuals and organizations from Facebook — including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the military’s Myawady television network,” Facebook said in a blog post.

"We're removing a total of 18 Facebook accounts, one Instagram account and 52 Facebook Pages, followed by almost 12 million people,"

It is the first time Facebook has imposed such a ban on a country’s military or political leaders, the company later said it response to a query from Reuters.

Facebook spokeswoman Clare Wareing said by email that the social media site took this step, “since international experts, including a UN-commissioned report, have found evidence that many of these officials committed serious human rights abuses in the country.”

[PetroniusMaximus]

A good way to get your top executives killed.

[MichaelCorleone]

Sure. The vague and ambiguous catch-all phrase of ‘human rights abuses’ to justify things that otherwise would never be approved of.

[roho]

Interesting that nobody complained when the Muslims were killing the Christians

[SamAdams76]

The country used to be called Burma. Why did we change the name to something that is hard to pronounce?

[henkster]

So what other countries have they banned for human rights issues? China? Zimbabwe? Iran?

[granada]

America is the champion of islamists.

Myanmar does need to get along with China.

[bboop]

Ahh, the book-burning continues. Now FB is the ‘Grand Arbiter of the World’ it looks like. They decide which cause is worthy, who to promote, who to silence? Wow.

[SunkenCiv]

IOW, this is all about Facebook's policy of coddling jihadists.

When will Facebook crack down on the racists running South Africa or Zimbabwe?

Thanks BenLurkin.

[READINABLUESTATE]

Ahh, the book-burning continues.

Facebook 451

[HollyB]

I still call it Burma. Oh well.

[HollyB]

I still call it Burma. Oh well.

[dljordan]

Facebook is getting a little to big for it’s britches. Of course when you’re a CIA tool you can get away with whatever you want.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Slobbering Islamophiles everywhere. It would be ironic to see Zuck get an "Islamic haircut", just a little "off the top".
 

[Lazamataz]

At some point, Facebook becomes pointless to use.

[ßuddaßudd]

who are they to judge them ¿?

[Larry Lucido]

I still call it Burma. Oh well.

Indeed.

[Wuli]

Facebook is “censoring” nearly everything I “share”. They are putting the things I share in my “timeline” but they are not putting them in the “newafeed” any FB “friends” or the public sees.

[Mr. Jeeves]

They are getting pretty good at it. My wife posts some things related to our business and learns that only a few of her friends have seen it. Then shortly afterward, a Facebook ad pops us asking her to pay to "expand the reach of your post."

Maybe if we start each post with a funny cat picture it will sneak past their censors. :)

[SpaceBar]

The Burmese have been repulsing violent attempts at muslim encroachment for the better part of the last 1000 years give or take.