Analysis: Current Landscape of Hate Speech in Myanmar prejudices.389 A Kachin activist said that they had flagged content that definitely violated Facebook’s community standards but then were told by a content moderator that it was fine.390 A Muslim participant also said that they wanted a Tier I derogatory post about the Rohingya to be taken down, but the reviewer kept it up.391 A CSO representative remarked that the aforementioned changes have led to some improve- ment, reducing the time the company takes to respond to reported content from a week to about two days.392 Nonetheless, the number of moderators for Myanmar pale in comparison to the 1,200 mod- erators Facebook has employed to review hate speech in Germany alone for example.393 According to one estimate, a similar ratio of users to moderators would require about 800 reviewers for Myanmar.394 Indeed, the perils of the lack of context sensitivity stood out in February 2019 when Facebook banned four EAOs as “dangerous organizations,” as well as any associated praise, support, or representation of the groups on its platform.395 This ban, made without consultation with local CSOs, sparked serious concerns among CSOs and human rights organizations that the company was “tip- ping the scales toward the military” by applying restraints to a select group of non-state actors and refusing to clarify the standards used for the decision.396 Increasing use of alternative online channels The fourth challenge has been the increased use of alternative online channels that may be harder to monitor. Specifically, representatives of several CSOs noted that crackdowns by Facebook have not reduced hate speech online, because propagators have simply turned to alternative means of communication. Alternative methods have included creating secret or closed groups on Facebook that are not easily accessible by CSOs engaged in monitoring and fact checking.397 After being banned from Facebook, members of the military and ultranationalist groups including Ma Ba Tha and its allies attempted to migrate to V Kontakte (“VK”), a Russian social media platform that claims 97 million active monthly users, but were subsequently blocked there as well.398 CSOs reported that ultranationalist figures including U Wirathu and U Sittagu have created their own namesake ap- plications, which are only downloadable via private links on Google Drive that are shared through VK.399 These individual applications have provided them with a direct line of communication to their followers, and the information that is shared often contradicts official reports from the government.400 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 ber 6, 2018, https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/6/18068104/facebook-business-social-responsibility-myanmar-report. MS-R1-01, 6; MS-R1-02, 6; FGD (December 2019). MS-R1-01, 6-7. YGN-R1-01, 7. 002-R1-01. Kevin Roose and Paul Mozur, “Zuckerberg Was Called Out Over Myanmar Violence. Here’s His Apology,” The New York Times, April 9, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/09/business/facebook-myanmar-zuckerberg.html. Ibid. Facebook, “Recent Updates.” Wong. 002-R4-04; 002-03-01; 002-R3-03. James Hookway and Myo Myo, “Banned From Facebook, Myanmar’s Top General Finds Russian Refuge,” Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/banned-from-facebook-myanmars-top-general-finds-russian-refuge-1535631150; Steger. FGD (December 2019). Ibid. 65