Protesters hold the portrait of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, during an anti-coup demonstration |
"We have terminated a number of channels and removed
several videos from YouTube in accordance with our community guidelines and
applicable laws," a YouTube spokeswoman said in a statement in response to
a Reuters question.
The channels taken down include the state network, MRTV,
(Myanma Radio and Television) as well as the military-owned Myawaddy Media, MWD
Variety and MWD Myanmar, YouTube said.
Their removal comes during the bloodiest week so far of
anti-coup protests, with 38 people killed on Wednesday, according to the United
Nations, as security forces tried to crush rallies and used live rounds in some
areas.
The army seized power on Feb. 1, alleging mass fraud in the
November election won by Aung San Suu Kyi's government. The election commission
said the vote was fair, but the military has used media to make its case and
justify the takeover.
MRTV pages were banned by Facebook in February, while it had
previously barred Myawaddy in 2018 when it banned army chief Min Aung Hlaing -
now the military ruler - and more than a dozen other senior officers and
organisations on the platform.
Facebook has now banned all pages linked to Myanmar’s army -
and was itself banned by the junta in February.
Other social media platforms are also grappling with how to
moderate military content and a proliferation of hate speech and misinformation
in Myanmar.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Myanmar soldiers and
police were using TikTok to deliver death threats to protesters.
Researchers have said that after the Facebook ban the
military was trying to build its presence on other platforms.
YouTube had faced criticism from researchers and civil
society groups for a comparatively hands-off approach during Myanmar's Nov. 8
vote.
A Reuters review found dozens of channels hosted on YouTube
that had promoted election misinformation while posing either as news outlets
or political programmes.
Google said in December it had terminated 34 YouTube channels following investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Myanmar.
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