PEACEWORKS 92 One interviewee, himself a Buddhist monk in Yangon, indicated that he was so well connected by social media that he saw no reason to verify the information he was receiving and disseminating in support of Rakhine Buddhists. percent of the people of Myanmar have used the Internet in the last week.13 This number rises to just 4.1 percent for citizens in urban areas.14 Internet access is largely available in urban areas and much less available in rural (and ethnic) areas. However, overall penetration rates could be misleading based on the availability of Internet in urban cafes that enable multiple users at one access point. Also, people are increasingly able to access Internet on mobile devices. Despite the virtual lack of Web-based infrastructure for mobile phones, mobile access might even be faster than computer-based Internet (according to Gallup). Internet costs $300 or more for installation, and subscription rates vary based on download and connection speed ($75 to $100 per month). Cost for mobile Internet access is estimated at 15 to 30 cents per minute. Internet is the primary medium for ethnic communities based outside the country, with formerly exile outlets, such as Mizzima, Irrawady, and Democratic Voice of Burma, providing much of the online news content. Despite the low Internet penetration rates and relative dearth of users, social media such as Facebook have become extremely popular. It is estimated that there are roughly eight hundred thousand Facebook accounts in Myanmar,15 though half of them could be using fake identities.16 Interviewees point to many positive instances in which social media have been used to rally for peacebuilding and other social causes,17 but social media have also exacerbated ethnic and religious tensions and helped spread misinformation and rumor. Hate speech has proliferated online, including reinforcing negative stereotypes about both Muslims and Buddhists. Much of the inflammatory content has been directed at the Muslim population in Rakhine State in particular, which has sparked violence and reprisal attacks. One interviewee, himself a Buddhist monk in Yangon, indicated that he was so well connected by social media that he saw no reason to verify the information he was receiving and disseminating in support of Rakhine Buddhists. One media executive stated simply that “social media is not accountable.” In fact, the ability of activists in Myanmar to act instantaneously on the Internet has trumped discussion of controversial issues in the mainstream media, a potentially dangerous trend that has many worried about how to rein in inflammatory online content yet maintain some level of free expression. Mobile According to 2011 data, 1.244 million people in Myanmar have mobile phones.18 According to Gallup, 16.6 percent of Burmese have a working mobile phone in the household. Mobile phone ownership has risen sharply in urban areas, from 13 percent in 2010–11 to 35.2 percent in 2012. In Yangon and Mandalay, almost half of the residents (45.7 percent) have mobiles. Short message service (SMS) usage is quite low, however: Only 4.3 percent of urban mobile users text at least once per week. This overall use of mobiles is expected to surge when new licenses are issued to interna­ tional mobile companies. At the end of June 2013, Norway’s Telenor and Qatar’s Ooredoo won a highly competitive tender process from among eleven other short-listed carriers. However, the awarding of the licenses will be delayed until the parliament has passed a new telecommunications law that governs the industry. Once the licenses are issued and network build-out can begin, service will expand rapidly. The government goal is 80 percent coverage by 2016. Other factors are contributing to attaining this ambitious target. First, mobile devices are available everywhere, especially cheap Chinese models, and most are Internet enabled.19 18  USIP.ORG