disinformation. As the Freedom House report on Freedom on the Net 2018 details, Myanmar internet freedom declined as the country witnessed a decline in the diversity of content, increases in intimidation and violence against journalists, and greater restrictions through the creation of a government social media monitoring team (which is largely targeting activists and foreign media that do not agree with government narratives) (Freedom House, 2018). While press freedom is under threat, violence against ethnic and religious minorities by hate groups continues, as in the case of the recent attack on a mosque in South Dagon, Yangon, where a group of so-called “nationalists” shut down Ramadan prayer meetings at factories and homes (Chan Thar, 2019). The vacuum of information is partly due to the heavy role of the state, both of the civilian government and the military, in traditional media and their social media affiliates. It is also due to the fact that Myanmar’s particular state actors have at times been at the forefront of promoting hate speech and disinformation, rather than trying to counter it. Another factor is the global nature of hate speech and disinformation, especially on a visible issue like the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine, which makes it very difficult to control social media presence outside the country that may contribute to greater levels of polarization. Overall, the rise in hate speech and disinformation, combined with government initiatives to regulate it, has led to a situation where there is little opportunity to hold anyone responsible for spreading hate speech and disinformation. Pointing out instances of hate speech and disinformation (or acts of violence against ethnic and religious minorities) can lead to suits and imprisonment on defamation charges, as in the case of Myanmar Now editor Swe Win referred to above, scaring away those who might otherwise seek to hold leaders accountable for these offenses. The arrest and imprisonment of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for violating Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act, after they had documented a massacre of Rohingya villagers by the Myanmar military, also sent a warning to journalists seeking to expose violence against ethnic and religious minorities. As the UN Human Rights Council’s Fact Finding Mission to Myanmar reported, “Violence and human rights violations, including in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan States, are fueled by the silencing of critical voices by the Myanmar 12