Myanmar’s Military Struggles to Control the Virtual Battlefield Crisis Group Asia Report N°314, 18 May 2021 Page 30 has also taken a clear position by banning the Tatmadaw from its platform. As the military shifts to other social networks in an effort to keep its propaganda online, these platforms should carefully consider whether to follow Facebook’s lead and ban the military as well, taking into account not just recent events, but also the fact that it has a history of coordinated dangerous behaviour that has resulted in real-world harm. Given that the lack of Myanmar-language capacity at most social media platforms leaves them vulnerable to misuse, they certainly need to be vigilant about the possibility of the Tatmadaw and its proxies misusing them. TikTok, in particular, needs to consider carefully how it responds to the use of its platform by military personnel. While worrying content appears to emanate from individual accounts, their behaviour is different from what is observed on other platforms, where in recent times soldiers have rarely worn their uniforms or shown their weapons. It is possible the military has coordinated a campaign designed to take advantage of TikTok’s relative lack of moderation capacity and less-developed policies to influence younger internet users, as well as the military’s political base.139 The company has taken steps to eliminate a large part of the intimidating content flooding its platform by better enforcing its existing policy on the display of firearms.140 But given its rising popularity in Myanmar, it needs to continue to invest in technology, personnel and partnerships to better tackle the threat moving forward. 139 Crisis Group interviews, social media researchers, March 2021. Although TikTok bans displays of firearms outside a “controlled environment”, this policy has been loosely enforced across the platform, not just in relation to Myanmar content. See, for example, “TikTok has a gun problem, and it’s doing nothing to fix it”, Digital Trends, 8 March 2021; and “TikTok is teaching teens how to build fully automatic rifles and make ‘hollow point’ ammunition”, Media Matters for America, 10 February 2021. 140