In the absence of reliable information, and without the ability to fact-check what information is available, a number of our interviewees spoke to the pressing problem of inaccurate rumors. Asmahra, one of our interviewees from Myanmar, summarized: “There are many rumors all around. We cannot verify which is true or false without the internet.” As Abulnawser, another interviewee from Myanmar, elaborated: “We cannot get accurate information when we need [it]. Some say there are ten COVID-19 positive cases in Buthidaung, and others say there are eight. We cannot verify which information is true or false. We heard there are 300 infected persons in Sittwe. Now they are saying the total cases have exceeded 600. People who are close to me came and asked me which information is true or false, but I could not say anything. Because I do not spread rumors.”138 The interviews make palpable Asmahra and Abulnawser’s frustration at being unable to combat rumors as they accelerate: in the absence of the internet, they were simply unable to find a source to verify what they were hearing. Unfortunately, the same challenge with rumors exists in the refugee camps, with one interviewee from Bangladesh describing them as spreading “massively.”139 COVID-19 has presented a challenge to governments, communities, and individuals around the world, and the internet has proven for many to be a lifeline. The ongoing internet shutdown deprives those in Rahkine and Chin States of such a lifeline. It was also denied for months and months in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Work The impact of internet shutdowns on the ability to find and engage in work was a concern that came up in half of our interviews in Myanmar, but not in our interview in Bangladesh. This is unsurprising in a sense, since, as we mentioned above, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are not allowed to work. Their concerns about the impacts of internet shutdowns focused on other themes. In Myanmar, however, despite the relative recency of widespread internet availability, a number of our interviewees described it as essential to their work. The internet shutdown impacted job seekers among our interviewees in different ways. Muhammad Shor Biar noted how the internet had enabled him to transcend the physical constraints he is under: “[Before the shutdown] I did not have to personally go to search and apply for jobs because of the internet. I just had to send email. Now, internet is no longer accessible and it is very hard to travel from one place to the next. So, I could not apply for jobs anymore.”140 138 Myanmar interview 10. 139 Bangladesh interview 5. 140 Myanmar interview 6. 32