Myanmar citizens use protester toolkit to skirt Internet ban

A demonstrator shouts slogans during a protest outside the United Nations Building in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 4, 2021. Myanmar citizens are following the lead of protesters in Hong Kong, Belarus and elsewhere who have found creative ways around government Internet restrictions. — Bloomberg

Sidestepping a crackdown on Internet use since the military seized power almost two months ago, hundreds of thousands of protesters and citizens in Myanmar are finding different ways to communicate online, downloading tools to bypass censorship restrictions and turning to alternative media sources and underground networks, according to new research.

They have moved to a mirror site of Facebook on the dark web, used apps that rely on Bluetooth technology to continue messaging each other and turned to lesser known social media platforms to stay connected, according to Recorded Future Inc, a closely held cybersecurity firm based near Boston, Massachusetts.