Technology: Friend or Foe for Women of Myanmar Many interviewees spoke about how they circumvented increased restrictions through digital security measures such as the use of foreign SIM cards, paid VPNs and encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and Telegram when accessing the internet to communicate, organize protests and speak out against human rights abuses. These precautions enabled them to continue expressing their political opinions. These legal changes and security risks heavily influenced the respondents’ perception of freedom of expression after the coup according to the survey results. 87.4% considered the state of freedom of expression to be terrible, 5.1% found it slightly worse and only 2.3% thought it had improved. Overall, 92.5% of respondents saw freedom of expression decline after the coup. What do you think about the status of freedom of expression after the Coup? Better Much Better 2.3% 1.71% Nothing Changed 3.4% Worse 5.1% Worst 87.4% Figure 16: Perception of the state of freedom of expression after the coup 51