9/24/21, 8:06 PM Radio Free Myanmar: Disinformation network spreads false news and hate speech | Frontier Myanmar In 2019, the “Seh Lwin Moe” account posted this photo, purportedly of themselves. Frontier was unable to confirm that the person behind the account is a member of the Tatmadaw. (Frontier) All three of these pages went quiet in May – Poe Boroz and Seh Lwin Moe both made their last posts on May 16 – but Pyi Sount Thar Kaung has shown brief signs of life again recently, making three posts since the end of August. Frankel said RFM poses a challenge, because it doesn’t have an official page or account on Facebook. “What we can do is somewhat limited,” he said. Facebook has also investigated RFM, but “can’t really tie it to” any specific organisation or group. However, RFM has become something of a red flag for Facebook, with Frankel saying that any time they see the RFM logo, they know the information is “likely false”. Frankel said Facebook can take action against pages and accounts if they are found to be “serial spreaders of misinformation”. After Frontier shared its findings with Facebook, the admins of Sett Lwin Moe were put into a fake account checkpoint, meaning the users will not have access to their accounts unless they can prove their real identities. During this period, the accounts are not viewable to the public. When Frontier contacted the Maung Maung account, it denied having any affiliation with RFM, despite frequently sharing content that could not be found elsewhere. The user said they were simply a fan of RFM’s “strong” reporting on issues that other media outlets “are afraid to mention”. The USDP also denied any relation to RFM. Spokesperson Daw Nan Mya Mya Mie Mie Zaw said: “I do not know RFM … I do not want to comment on an unknown case.” She acknowledged that USDP supporters may be spreading disinformation, but said supporters of other parties had been doing the same. Myint Kyaw from the MPC said one of the difficulties in combatting disinformation in Myanmar is that the major political stakeholders only care about the issue when disinformation affects them negatively. Otherwise, they show little interest. “They say nothing,” he said, “when fake news has the same purpose as their policy or ideas.” More stories https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/radio-free-myanmar-disinformation-network-spreads-false-news-and-hate-speech/ 6/9