4.2. The surveillance chilling effect Another likely cause of the decline of media reach is the military’s use of surveillance technologies and device searches, followed by the criminalisation of internet use. The understandable concerns of being monitored online, exposed while responding to independent news, or caught at a checkpoint with a VPN app have led people to change whether and how they interact with information online. By making the digital public square a site of constant monitoring, the military has dismantled the safety required for a free and open information environment This environment constitutes an unlawful interference with the right to privacy under Article 17 of the ICCPR. Rather than participating in open debate, the public is being forced into surveillance-induced self-censorship. People balance their right to information with the immediate need for personal safety. By making the digital public square a site of constant monitoring, the military has dismantled the safety required for a free and open information environment. 4.3. Increased cost and platform “Enshittification” The increased cost of accessing the internet has undoubtedly contributed to the decline in media reach. After the coup, the military intentionally made access prohibitively expensive by imposing a SIM card purchase tax, tripling telecommunications firms’ corporate tax, and ordering operators to double the price of data. The overall cost is also increased by the “enshittification” of major platforms like Facebook, bloated with advertising, tracking, videos, and non-essential features. Digital poverty acts as a For people in Myanmar living on small budgets, form of economic accessing the media now consumes significantly more money than before the coup. As the military’s censorship actions have severely impacted the economy, data has become more costly. Digital poverty acts as a form of economic censorship, ensuring that the right to receive information is restricted to a wealthier minority. Page 12 of 24