Ash Community Speaker Series: Digital Misinformation and the Challenges of Democratic Transition in Myanmar

Date: 

Friday, November 9, 2018, 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location: 

Ash Center Foyer, 124 Mount Auburn St., Floor 2, Suite 200N

Join us for a discussion with Pwint Htun, non-resident Ash Center Fellow, about how digital misinformation campaigns in Myanmar, among other issues, are challenging the country’s transition to democratic governance. David Dapice, Senior Economist, Vietnam and Myanmar Program at the Ash Center, will moderate.

In 2012, Myanmar was one of the three least connected countries in the world along with Cuba and North Korea. Today, over 90% of the population has 3G or 4G mobile coverage. With affordable data rates and brand-new dual-SIM smartphones, there is pervasive smartphone usage. Myanmar went from an information black hole to information overload in a very short time. 

Never in Myanmar’s history has the entire population had access to so much information (and misinformation) through smartphones.  A majority of the population doesn’t understand media literacy and privacy. Pwint will discuss why this makes Myanmar extremely vulnerable to digital misinformation campaigns and how this poses challenges for democracy.  

Lunch will be served. 

The Ash Community Speaker Series features discussions with students, faculty, fellows, and alumni whose research or other academic work is supported by the Ash Center. The series is a forum to discuss new ideas, innovative work, and ongoing projects that are related to the Ash Center's mission to make the world a better place by advancing excellence and innovation in governance and public policy through research, education, and public discussion.