5/27/22, 2:20 AM How activists are using Facebook in Myanmar for democratic ends, but Facebook itself also facilitated hate speech | LSE So… protect against future problems. As well as celebrating and supporting the agency, creativity and bravery of democracy activists we ought to focus more on Facebook’s responsibility in managing its operations ethically and protecting those who may be at risk. Mark Zuckerberg hopes the platform can build ‘civically engaged and inclusive communities’. Yet this is unlikely if Facebook continues to deflect attention from its failures in the societies in which it has an influential presence. *The cover image is by Timothy Hales Bennet on Unsplash * This article has been co-published with Melbourne Asia Review at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne. The views expressed in the blog are those of the authors alone. They do not reflect the position of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, nor that of the London School of Economics and Political Science. About the author Aleksander Deejay Dr. Aleksandar Deejay is a research fellow at RegNet, ANU and a researcher in social science and science and technology studies. He received his Ph.D. at The University of Melbourne in 2016 in social and political sciences where his thesis examined social and political visibility across digital platforms. His current research explores the implications of artificial intelligence for governance and civil society, futuresthinking in governance, and discourses surrounding technology and technological futures. Tamas Wells Dr. Tamas Wells is a Research Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on meanings of democracy, rights and accountability in Southeast Asia and the role of international aid agencies and civil society organisations. His first book, Narrating Democracy in Myanmar (AUP), examines the Burmese opposition movement in the lead up to the historic 2015 elections in Myanmar and diverging narratives of democracy within the movement, and amongst its international supporters. Before beginning his doctoral studies in https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/seac/2021/06/23/how-activists-are-using-facebook-in-myanmar-for-democratic-ends-but-facebook-itself-also-facilitated-hat… 9/12