Athens Journal of Law July 2022 company with close links to the military. 138 The sale raised concerns that the personal data of its 18 million users in Myanmar would become available to the Tatmadaw.139 The reason for concern was that in 2021, Telenor was pressured to install eavesdropping equipment for monitoring communications on its network.140 Apparently, Telenor had complied with data requests from the beginning of the coup, and by February 2022, the Ministry of Transport and Communications had made at least 200 requests for sensitive information.141 Social Media and the Tatmadaw Soon after the coup, Facebook banned the Tatmadaw’s official Facebook page, the Tatmadaw True News Information Team and that of its military spokesman.142 Reuters reviewed thousands of social media posts in 2021 and “found that about 200 military personnel, using their personal accounts on platforms including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Telegram, regularly posted messages or videos alleging fraud at the election and denouncing anti-coup protesters as traitors”.143 In December 2021, Facebook banned all Myanmar-military controlled businesses from its platforms.144 The action was based on “extensive documentation by the international community and civil society of these businesses’ direct role in funding the Tatmadaw”.145 Around the same time, Rohingya refugees commenced proceedings in a California court against Facebook for $150bn “over claims the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, exacerbating violence against the vulnerable Myanmar minority”.146 Their complaint argued that Facebook’s algorithms “promote disinformation and extreme thought that translates into real-world violence”.147 Covid-19 Pandemic Pandemic and Issues Prohibitions on access to the use of the internet and social media impacted access to critical information and guidance on COVID-19 prevention measures.148 It was also likely to “further exacerbate gender-based violence risks for women and their access to life-saving services”. Prior to the third COVID-19 wave in mid-2021, “there was strong stigma against COVID-19 vaccinations as people swore on Facebook to refuse vaccines until Aung San Suu Kyi was freed and democracy restored”. 149 138 The Irrawaddy (2022). Ibid. 140 Ibid. 141 Access Now (2022). 142 Domino (2021, 20 April 2022). 143 Potkin & Lone (2021). 144 Al Jazeera (2021a). . 145 Ibid. 146 Al Jazeera (2021b). 147 Ibid. 148 Sharma, Phyu Phyu Oo, Hollaender & Scott (2021). 149 Naw Theresa (pseudonym) (2022). 139 323 Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4150894