their zeal to protect Buddhism, the authors of these laws are imperiling other religious minorities, including… [the] Muslim minority.”33 4. The Monogamy Bill: Approved on August 31, 2015,34 the bill prohibits married people from having an extramarital affair,35 and outlaws having more than one spouse or living with “an unmarried partner who is not a spouse.”36 Human rights activists claim that this bill, by criminalizing consensual sex, violates the “right to privacy” that is a part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.37 Information Communications Landscape The darkening sectarian environment in Myanmar has coincided with a rapidly changing information communication landscape. In 2013, Myanmar was the last “unphoned” country in the world; however, the country has jumped into the mobile Internet age since market reforms and the invitation of private bids in January 2013.38 By 2015, SIM card prices had dropped from US$1,500 to under $1.50,39 and internet penetration increased from less than one percent in 201240 to as much as 40 percent as of April 2015,41 according to Radio Free Asia and MIDO, respectively. By March 2016, it is expected that as many as 35 million new mobile phone users will enter the market, driving penetration to as much as 80 percent.42 In response, providers such as Ooredoo have sought to launch 3-G “smart-phone” only networks, skipping 2-G networks altogether.43 As a result, mobile phones, rather than personal computers, are Myanmar’s primary interface to the Internet. Today, social media plays a central role as a platform for news, popular media, and other forms of mass information. “Apps,” such as Facebook and Viber, have become popular and often come pre-loaded onto phones at mobile phone shops or stalls. Viber has seen very high adoption rates, with the number of users in Myanmar more than doubling in six months in 2014 - from 1,989,508 users in February to 5 million by July 30th.44 The app has several advantages unique to Myanmar, such as its superior performance in low-bandwidth environments and its need for only a phone number at the time of registration.45 Both Facebook and Viber have become popular platforms for hate speech. The government has recognized Facebook-driven hate speech as an issue, and has claimed it will seek to better monitor occurrences of hate speech before the 2015 elections.46 Social media is used to attack and intimidate activists, with an increasing level of sophistication. Private attacks to pressure and intimidate activists are often threatening messages through Viber, generally from unrecognized numbers and anonymous callers. Image 2 on the next page on the left was obtained by Justice Trust, which documented several messages directed against activists campaigning against the Race and Religion Laws. 47 The text states, “The kalars are bad but what is worse is race traitor whores like you. Mark our words, we will kill those who work to destroy the race.”48 Many hate speech disseminators, including prominent monks and politicians, maintain Facebook accounts that cater to a large audience and publish original content on a regular basis. Today, most are careful to avoid crossing the line into outright hate speech or any incitement to violence. However, many still regularly toe the line. One representative example below concerns prominent Ma Ba Tha monk and 969 co-founder Ashin Wimala Bivuntha. In August 2015, an account apparently controlled by him commented on a prominent case of jailed inter-faith Muslim activist Zaw Zaw Latt. The account itself only shared a post and posted one sentence on the share, warning his audience “to beware of such cunning people.” 49 However, the original post warns against inter-faith activities, mocks monks supporting these activities as “stupid, fake monk,” and condemns the Buddhist girls pictured with Latt as “ignorant bitches who are following the money.”50 8