mainstream discourse in ways that lack transparency and due process. Notably, since censorship was officially lifted the military has pressured individuals and media outlets to remove posts or images perceived to hurt the public image of the armed forces. Content subject to prosecution is also generally removed (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities). Content removal decisions by international companies attracted controversy during the reporting period. In May 2017, Facebook apparently restricted posts containing the word kala and sanctioned users who posted it for violating the platform’s terms of service. 37 The word, originally used to describe foreigners, has increasingly been used as a derogatory term for Muslims, who face widespread discrimination in Myanmar. Observers noted that the blocking was inconsistent across all posts mentioning kala, which also forms parts of many benign Burmese words and phrases. The restrictions were lifted after netizens protested. 38 Facebook users periodically misuse the mechanism for reporting offensive content in order to disable rival pages. Activists with different political agendas allege their opponents have violated Facebook’s community standards in order to have their content removed. Owners must appeal to Facebook to have it reinstated. Several campaigners who protest against hate speech, however, welcomed reports from the ultranationalist Buddhist monk U Wirathu that Facebook had temporarily shut down two of his accounts on May 31. 39 The monk is known for his extreme antiMuslim rhetoric; a local Buddhist authority had banned him from giving sermons in March. 40 Media, Diversity and Content Manipulation Self-censorship with regard to military and related issues is common online, especially after military officials issued warnings in response to news articles and cartoons they said harmed the dignity and spirit of the military during the Kokang conflict in 2015. At the same time, journalists are becoming more cautious when reporting on the NLD government. Although the media was relieved from “government censorship” in 2012, they increasingly fear “public censorship” in the form of social media abuse, according to one of the country’s largest weeklies. 41 Social media and communication apps including Viber, Line, Friend Finder, and Google+ are freely available. Facebook is the most popular, since many users