Leveraging Brands & Popstars A few of the pages across these networks appeared designed to leverage the popularity of existing brands, either of companies, celebrities or even government agencies, to increase their audience appeal. For example, the page that was called “Myanmar News Network” when it was taken down was originally called “Red Dot.” This was the name of a mobile payment provider that shut down in December 2018. In September-October 2019, the page changed its name to “Myanmar Red dot Network” and then to “Myanmar News Network.” This suggests that the page, together with its existing audience, was repurposed to appeal to a new audience. At the time of the takedown, this page had received over 3 million likes. Page transparency for Myanmar News Network, showing its name history. Other pages leveraged the popularity of major Myanmar celebrities and influencers, sometimes reflecting or replicating their names and visual branding (such as profile pictures) to associate themselves with the star. For example, the page “SAI” was dedicated to actor ​Sai Sai Kham Leng​, whose verified page has over 10 million followers; the “SAI” page had 55,000 followers when it was taken down. 14