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Facebook has announced that it will “severely” curtail accounts associated with the Myanmar military for spreading “misinformation” after the coup.
The move means pages and profiles with links to the military will be harder to access and fewer users will see content they post.
Facebook also said it would delete posts supporting the coup or inciting violence against protesters after an activist was shot in the head by police this week.
Meanwhile, the UN issued a resolution calling on Myanmar military leaders to release the imprisoned leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and to stop using violence against demonstrators.
Facebook has restricted accounts associated with the Myanmar military because of the spread of “misinformation” after the coup earlier this month
The social network has also announced that it will delete all posts that expressly support the coup or incite violence after police cracked down on protesters this week
The 47-member Geneva Forum adopted a resolution unanimously adopted by the UK and the EU without a vote, although Russia and China later said they had “distanced themselves” from consensus.
The Myanmar envoy said before the vote that the resolution was “unacceptable”.
In addition to restricting some military-run sites, Facebook has removed posts alleging widespread electoral fraud in Myanmar’s election last year.
The military has used electoral fraud as a justification for its coup, despite the country’s election guard saying no evidence was presented.
Rafael Frankel, Facebook political director for Asia Pacific, said: “We are working with governments, the United Nations and civil society around the world to call for the immediate restoration of internet services in Myanmar so that people there can communicate with loved ones who express their political views, access critical information and conduct their business.
“We remain vigilant for emerging trends and will not hesitate to take additional action if necessary.”
United Nations leaders were also urged to follow the example of the United States in imposing sanctions on the military regime in order to pressure the generals to restore democracy.
The military-led police in Myanmar this week cracked down on protests, including opening a fire against activists with live ammunition (police arrest a protester in Mawlamyine)
The UN called on the Myanmar generals to stop using force against demonstrators and to release the imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi (pictured demonstrators arrested in Mawlamyine).
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