Myanmar’s Military Struggles to Control the Virtual Battlefield Crisis Group Asia Report N°314, 18 May 2021 Page 28 these programs, by drawing attention to them, helping those eligible apply, and suggesting potential candidates to VPN providers. Several tech companies are already taking steps to better protect users against potential reprisals for their online activities. Facebook has launched a safety feature enabling users to quickly and easily lock their profiles, which applies additional security settings that restricts visibility to non-friends.135 Such measures are welcome, and other social media, messaging and email providers – particularly those that are widely used by activists – should consider following suit with similar precautions. Systems to remotely delete applications and data – for example, after a device is seized – would be particularly useful. At the same time, use of these tools requires a level of knowledge and security awareness that many Myanmar internet users simply do not have. Although digital security habits have improved significantly since 1 February, including through the uptake of VPNs and encrypted messaging applications such as Signal, it is largely younger and better educated users who have tightened up their practices. There is still a significant knowledge deficit in some demographics, which is particularly concerning given the array of tools the Tatmadaw has to target users. Digital rights and digital literacy have been much neglected amid Myanmar’s telecoms liberalisation; donors and technology companies need to start taking it much more seriously by providing the necessary financial and technical support to local actors involved in these issues.136 Finally, the CRPH and the National Unity Government it recently formed should take steps, if only symbolic ones given their limited power, to rectify some of the damage that the NLD inflicted on digital rights and privacy during its time in office. They could announce policies that enshrine privacy. They could also affirm their commitment to a free and open internet and to protecting the rights of internet users, including their right to freedom of expression. Even though the unity government is not now in the position to enforce such policies, such steps would send an important signal that the NLD and its partners recognise the importance of the issue. The CRPH could also use its high-profile platform to promote digital literacy and good security habits among Myanmar internet users. C. Investing and Operating Responsibly Technology companies in Myanmar, most of which entered the country during the term of the Thein Sein government, have been forced to navigate an increasingly difficult operating environment in recent years. The NLD government had already taking steps to erode data privacy, freedom of expression and access to a free and open internet, and Myanmar’s regulatory framework often left investors with few options but to comply. This trend has accelerated dramatically since the 1 February coup, and orders to technology companies are now backed up, if necessary, by soldiers with guns. Refusing to follow the junta’s instructions is not an option if they are to con- 135 See “Facebook Introduces a New Safety Feature in Myanmar”, Facebook, 31 March 2021. One example of a local initiative to draw attention to digital rights issues is the Myanmar Digital Rights Forum, which has been held annually since 2016. 136