regions were subjected to large-scale military attacks. Residents reported that they were unable to make a single phone call. Once an easy fix, people living in border areas across China, India and Thailand, were no longer able to simply connect to the network of neighboring countries. Following reports of China’s involvement in the surveillance of the Myanmar Internet, the pro-democracy movement became very wary of Chinese-made smartphones and applications. India’s network was also inaccessible, as users are subject to a formal registration system that requires a national ID card or passport to activate a SIM Card. AIS, Thailand’s largest mobile phone operator, which is controlled by a Singapore government-owned company, offered international roaming data in Myanmar via SIM Cards which circulated on the black market for 10 times their official price in the weeks after the coup. It was then announced on April 2nd that “AIS network partners became unavailable and that any AIS SIM Card will be unable to connect local networks in Myanmar." Only people living in exile along the Thai-Myanmar border manage to make calls to Myanmar, from the top floor of their houses or on hills, at the local rate via the Telenor operator. Cutting off telecommunications is an effective way to limit reporting and bar people from any source of independent news. The country was already grappling with serious cases of misinformation and disinformation during political and health crises, but this new war on information has the potential to lead to chaotic and irremediable consequences. A decade after many other Southeast Asian countries, the digital revolution provided people in Myanmar with access to new technologies, business opportunities and a whole range of cultural offerings, from books and news to games and movies. Thanks to the introduction of content-sharing applications, they could tell the world what was happening in Myanmar. Families and communities living miles apart or across borders could stay in touch, and unionists and activists could build support organizations. 6