used by Apple). By highlighting access to these language resources, and MCF’s ZawgyiUnicode conversion tool online, this should benefit users. As the ICT sector grows, there will be further opportunities to direct users to centralised language resources. In Cambodia for example, the Khmer Software Initiative website contains a collection of software, fonts, and resources that can localise proprietary software (such as Windows or Apple OSX) while also providing a variety of localised open source downloads such as Open Office, and Open Suse, a free Linux based operating system. 177 Social Impacts Digital Literacy With SIM cards and entry level Android smartphones costing 1,500 MMK and 50,000 MMK respectively, owning an Internet connected mobile phone is starting to be financially realistic for much of the population. While official data on digital literacy in Myanmar is limited, the increase in mobile penetration over the past 15 years suggests many users are interacting with online services for the first time over an Internet connected mobile phone. A 2014 study by OnDevice Research conducted prior to the commercial launches of Telenor and Ooredoo found that 49% of Myanmar’s Internet users accessed the web via a mobile device. 178 In Myanmar many social interactions are moving to digital venues, such as social media. Many users accessing the Internet for the first time perceive Facebook as ‘the Internet’. Myanmar currently has approximately 3.28 million Facebook users, a number that will only increase with additional mobile penetration and Internet access. 179 Messaging and chat applications such as MySquar, Viber, Line, WeChat, and Facebook Messenger are very popular in Myanmar. 180 These applications allow users to send messages over the Internet which is often cheaper than sending an SMS text message between two phones. They offer additional features such as gaming, video calling, online stickers, and media sharing. Viber now incorporates features such as ‘public chats’ which are conversations anyone can see. Hush, a new mobile application in Myanmar, allows users to post messages and questions that are publicly visible but identify the author only by location. Digital interactions provide a space for personal expression. But there are significant emerging risks accompanying ICT usage, which new users of Myanmar’s growing ICT sector need to be aware of, including responsible social media interaction and managing data privacy online. The ICT Master Plan called for the “establishment of the National Committee for Information Culture Movement” to promote e-awareness in Myanmar society. However, to date there has been little action from the Government on promoting e-awareness. Furthermore, Myanmar’s education system, which is based on rote learning, rather than critical thinking and analysis, does not generally build the skills 177 See examples in Cambodia via KhmerOS at http://www.khmeros.info/. OnDevice Research, “Myanmar: The Final Frontier of the Mobile Internet” (July 2014). 179 DVB, “Govt, facebook to purge hate speech accounts” (14 Sept 2015). 180 Myanmar Times, “MySQUAR Aims for Listing in London” (May 2015). 178 CHAPTER 3: SECTOR-LEVEL IMPACTS 107 3