exact same things. After the coup, I don’t know who anyone is, most people have anonymous photos.” (KII_01) There is an added fear of deception, where informers not only report on existing activity, but go further in embellishing and Informers can make stories about why someone is posting something sensitive. Respondents described close control over their followers and who is able to see what on which account, many citing the Instagram ‘close friends only’ option for story visibility and thoroughly vetting new friend requests on Facebook; “Mostly I look at their profile, who they are, are they fake accounts? Why are they following me? Do we have mutual followers? If there are people, I trust that they are mutual friends and from within a circle. If it’s a fake account or it looks like someone has made this account to steal your information or get you into trouble, then I decline that follow request.” (FGD_05) Young people have also taken to denouncing and calling out informers on social media in response, which some participants believe has been an effective countermeasure. What is clear is that young people play a crucial role on social media, responding and adapting to the increasing restrictions and consequences they have been facing since the military coup; “I’m in my 20’s so I have to be very aware, more than any other age group. There are informer people in every street and city, because they think young people are very dangerous, and they inform the military just because we are young.” (FGD_05) (Male) “I think that people are very anxious because everything can be traced and affect others, so we are living in constant anxiety.” (FGD_06) 4.3 POST-COUP DIGITAL CULTURE In the months following the military coup, Myanmar’s youth have presented a formidable challenge to the power of the SAC; the resilience and creativity of youth both offline and online has made use of any resources that were available to develop a thriving anti-coup digital culture which engenders community, documenting abuses and developing new protest and mobilization tactics (Loong, 2021). While civilian youth may not be matched in military might, the digital space has presented a more opportune playing field in which resistance can be exercised. In the early days of the coup, this was focused on livestreaming protests, sharing video documentation and vital information and harnessing momentum and solidarity. Later, this evolved into more elaborate coordination, such as mapping in real-time military and police movements. Today, it involves fundraising for the CDM and the PDF. Given that 87% of respondents expressed concern over digital security and 90% considered FoE to be at an all-time low following the coup, it is of note that 83% of respondents expressed that they feel free to express themselves online. A correlation can be made between the digital safety precautions participants had made, and the impact of this on how free they feel. While it was identified that the extent to which digital safety changes were made remains inconsistent, at times superficial and unreliable, there has been a significant ability to circumvent repression and use the digital space despite this. 4.3.1 Digital Safety & Security Practices The majority of participants expressed the same ‘biggest fear’: being hacked and having their private conversations and activity used to harm them or their loved ones, and being hacked and having their identities stolen, to commit fraudulent activities, including blackmail. A FGD respondent for instance, expressed; “Using my identity and doing things that they are not supposed to do this will harm me and my family. Also, for my online bank account. One of my friends, her account was hacked, and that hacker used her name to commit fraud and manipulated others with money.” (FGD_02) (Female) Money fraud in particular was highlighted by a large number of respondents. The growing trend of money fraud is a result of increasing challenges in recent months in obtaining money from banks, having to pay for medical costs (COVID-19) and increasingly urgent requests for money from friends in need. More importantly, a huge population of Myanmar are already experiencing economic shocks. Since the coup and exacerbated by COVID-19 crisis the country continues to experience economic turmoil. The World Bank estimates that this year Myanmar’s economy will contract by 18%, with up to 1 million jobs at risk, and half of the population of Myanmar will be pushed below the poverty line (The World Bank, 2021). Through further discussion with research participants, it was identified that while all of them had made some changes in their digital safety and security practices since February 2021, the extent of these changes was at the time minimal, involving only the use of VPNs 27