Internet Regulation May Have Slipped Through the Hands of Government and Regulatory Bodies

The question for many stakeholders in the digital world is how much of the internet and digital mainstream does the government control. The absolute truth is that there are segments of the internet that these administrative bodies may be unable to control no matter how much they try. Let us see instances that help come to this conclusion in this report.

The Myanmar Experience

The nation of Myanmar is heated up at the moment. This is in light of how the military planned a successful coup that has overthrown a recently elected democratic government. The citizens have not taken things lightly as they have planned various forms of protest.

In the bid to bring the opposition to a standstill, the military administrators have ordered the pertinent ministry and key players to shut down internet operations. This is after it had shut down the use of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as they are viable platforms for the world to see what is happening and for activists to organize their acts of civil disobedience.

But despite the restrictive measures by the government, some sources have been able to give live feeds and report on the state of things using the internet. How is this possible?

The truth is that while the regulatory and administrative bodies can do so much, they cannot completely shut down the digital space. There are digital innovations such as VPN and several others that can be used to carry out digital reporting and operations even when such laws are actively in place. 

The Indian Experience

Asides from Myanmar, India has also acted similarly. This is in light of regulations curbing the use of certain digital platforms like Facebook because of the ongoing farmer’s protest.

In spite of all these unfavorable regulations, people are still able to report happenings in real-time through many of these platforms. This is because of amazing tech skills and innovations that have been developed and leveraged.

So, regardless of the attempt of political administrators to curb the use of the digital space, it cannot be successful.