"If It's on the Internet It Must Be Right": An Interview With Myanmar ICT for Development Organisation on the Use of the Internet and Social Media in Myanmar

Authors

  • Rainer Einzenberger University of Vienna

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-2016.2-9

Keywords:

Cyber Security, Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech, Internet, Social Media

Abstract

Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO) is a non-governmental organization in Myanmar focusing on Internet and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Established in 2012, MIDO focuses on ICTs for development, Internet freedom, and Internet policy advocacy. In 2013, it organized the first Myanmar Internet Freedom Forum in Myanmar, supported by Freedom House. Phyu Phyu Thi is both co-founder and research and development manager of MIDO. She holds a master’s degree in sustainable development from Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Social Sciences in Thailand, and a bachelor’s degree in science from Yangon University. Her interests include technology and development, social media, diffusion of information, and behavior. Htaike Htaike Aung is co-founder and executive director of MIDO. She is working as a digital security and privacy consultant. She is also co-founder of the Myanmar Blogger Society and co-organizer of BarCamp Yangon – a user-generated conference primarily focusing on technology and the Internet which is part of a larger international network.

Author Biography

Rainer Einzenberger, University of Vienna

Rainer Einzenberger is a PhD candidate at the Department of Development Studies, University of Vienna. His research interests include political science, land and resource politics, critical geography, and indigenous movements with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. The interview was conducted in Yangon in October 2016. Contact: rainer.einzenberger@univie.ac.at

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Published

2016-12-30

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2016): New Media

Section

In Dialogue

License

Copyright (c) 2016 SEAS – the Society of South-East Asian Studies

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