On February 5th, 2019 Facebook labeled four Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) in Myanmar as “Dangerous Organizations” thereby formally banning them from using the company’s platform. At the time of the company’s announcement, all four of these groups were in open conflict with the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) who were themselves in the process of being prosecuted for genocide in the International Court of Justice. As a principle vector for communication in Myanmar, Facebook’s decision directly impacted the ability of these groups to connect with national and international stakeholders during their conflicts with the Tatmadaw. This study looks to examine this decision and other content moderation decisions involving ethnic speech within Myanmar to document Facebook’s evolution from a tool for democratic liberalization to international political authority. While outwardly projecting a stance of neutrality in foreign affairs, this work seeks to demarcate how Facebook’s content moderation practices have transformed the company into a new governmental apparatus freely adjudicating political speech claims around the globe with virtual impunity. Building on scholarly discussions around content moderation and digital governance in media studies, I look to interrogate how Facebook’s positionality affects ethnic visibility in nations beholden to the company for national and worldwide recognition.

在2019年2月5日，Facebook将缅甸的四个民族武装组织（EAO）标记为“危险组织”，从而正式禁止他们使用该公司的平台。在公司宣布之时，所有这四个集团都与缅甸军方（Tatmadaw）发生公开冲突，后者正因国际种族灭绝罪而受到起诉。作为缅甸交流的主要原则，Facebook的决定直接影响了这些组织在与Tatmadaw发生冲突时与国家和国际利益相关方建立联系的能力。这项研究旨在研究该决定以及涉及缅甸境内种族言论的其他内容审核决定，以记录Facebook从民主自由化工具向国际政治权威的演变。在向外宣传外交事务中立立场的同时，这项工作试图划定Facebook的内容审核做法如何将公司转变为一个新的政府机构，以虚拟的有罪不罚的态度自由裁定全球各地的政治言论主张。在围绕媒体研究中的内容调节和数字治理的学术讨论的基础上，我希望询问Facebook的位置如何影响国家中的族裔知名度，这要归功于该公司在全国和全球范围内的认可。这项工作旨在划定Facebook的内容审核做法如何将公司转变为一个新的政府机构，以虚拟的有罪不罚的态度自由裁定全球范围内的政治言论主张。在围绕媒体研究中的内容调节和数字治理的学术讨论的基础上，我希望询问Facebook的位置如何影响国家中的族裔知名度，这要归功于该公司在全国和全球范围内的认可。这项工作旨在划定Facebook的内容审核做法如何将公司转变为一个新的政府机构，以虚拟的有罪不罚的态度自由裁定全球范围内的政治言论主张。在围绕媒体研究中的内容调节和数字治理的学术讨论的基础上，我希望询问Facebook的位置如何影响国家中的族裔知名度，这要归功于该公司在全国和全球范围内的认可。