1/10/25, 10:12 AM Meta/Facebook changes threaten Myanmar’s digital space While the policy reversal is positive, it highlights Meta’s continued Americentric approach in which global decisions are shaped by American political priorities, often disregarding the diverse needs of people worldwide that would be best served by prior consultation and potentially localised policies. Free expression must be balanced with protection from harm Meta’s plan to promote free expression by removing “out of touch” restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender shows a similar Ameri-centric approach to balancing human rights according to American political priorities that raises serious concerns in the Myanmar context. Discriminatory online speech targeting the Rohingya—often framed as claims about illegal migration—contributed to atrocity crimes in the country. Thousands of women and transgender persons have suffered from online harassment and abuse leading to real-world consequences. Establishing the right balance between protecting freedom of expression and protecting other rights cannot be done on a global level and should not be done without proper due diligence. Challenge global digital dictators, not protectors Zuckerberg’s pledge to collaborate with the U.S. administration to resist governmental pressures on digital platforms could positively impact Myanmar, where the military seeks to control the digital space. However, Meta must prioritise challenging truly oppressive regimes rather than use human rights language to cloak a pushback on democratic governments attempting to protect human rights such as privacy and data protection. Meta has human rights responsibilities https://humanrightsmyanmar.org/?na=v&nk=2309-d30a0b150d&id=9 3/4