An increasingly popular authoritarian tool: Shutting down the internet
SINGAPORE - For civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine state - who have survived army-led massacres, violence by ethnic militias, restrictions on humanitarian aid and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of neighbors - life just got more difficult.
The Myanmar government has suspended cellphone internet service in eight townships in Rakhine and one in neighboring Chin state where the army is battling insurgents. Government officials cited "rule of law and public safety concerns," arguing that armed groups were coordinating their activities online.
The temporary ban, which went into effect June 21 with no sign of when it would be lifted, is the latest example of how authoritarian governments are increasingly shutting down or disrupting internet
