It is deeply frustrating and alarming that Facebook—once hailed as a platform for truth and freedom—has once again silenced factual voices while enabling obvious disinformation. My recent post exposing an absurdly fake propaganda narrative circulating in Myanmar was not only deleted by Facebook, but I was punished for appealing their decision.
The post in question was debunking a ridiculous claim that Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, Russia’s former Minister of Defence (2012–2024), is a Myanmar-born son of a Shan-Kachin father from Shwegu. This fictional tale—crafted to falsely romanticize Russia-Myanmar military ties—was being spread in Burmese social media, complete with pseudo-historical fiction and cultural emotional manipulation. It claimed Shoigu spoke Burmese, lived in Taunggyi, and even donated to local monasteries!
The truth is not up for debate: Shoigu was born in 1955 in Chadan, Russia, to a Tuvan father and Ukrainian-Russian mother. These are well-documented, publicly available facts, found in international encyclopedias and state archives. Yet Facebook chose to remove my fact-based rebuttal, and absurdly penalized me for supposedly violating their “community standards.” What standard is this, where fiction is protected but fact is punished?
This is not the first time. Over the years, many Myanmar activists and independent voices—especially those opposing military propaganda—have been repeatedly censored or restricted by Facebook’s AI, content moderators, or so-called “fact-check” partners. In contrast, military-sympathetic pages and coordinated misinformation campaigns continue to flourish unchecked.
One cannot help but ask: Are there still Myanmar military-aligned administrators or contractors working within Facebook’s moderation and oversight teams? The bias is too consistent to be accidental.
We must call this what it is: arrogance, ignorance, and a refusal to learn from past failures. Facebook has a documented history of allowing hate speech, fake news, and genocide-enabling propaganda in Myanmar. The United Nations itself cited Facebook’s role in the atrocities against the Rohingya. And yet, even now, the platform appears to suppress whistleblowers while giving space to fiction writers and military sycophants.
I have uploaded the deleted material to YouTube since Facebook no longer feels like a safe space for truth. I also note, disturbingly, that my WordPress blog post on this subject has mysteriously vanished, raising further concerns about coordinated suppression.
The people of Myanmar—especially those struggling for justice, democracy, and communal harmony—deserve better. We demand platforms like Facebook stop aiding the spread of lies, and instead uphold their responsibility to protect truth and support independent voices.
Let this be a reminder to all: Never rely solely on Big Tech to protect your truth. Archive everything, diversify your platforms, and speak out. The digital battlefield is real—and we must not retreat.
