This report is an analysis of 88 cases of hate speech and misinformation found on social media in the month of July. In this report, the most frequently observed were hate speech that dehumanizes people, derogatory and condescending remarks, and hate speech directed against political groups and ethnic groups. These hate messages were mainly disseminated on Telegram and Facebook, and also posted on TikTok. This report primarily presents key trends, targeted groups, and case studies, along with recommendations in the conclusion.
● Hate speech accounted for 91% and misinformation for 9% of the findings.
● The most frequently observed types of hate speech were Guilt Attribution (32%), Dehumanization (27%), and Bullying & Harassment (24%).
● The main targeted groups were PDF (33%), Rohingya Muslims (23%), Arakan Army (AA) (15%), and women (14%).
● The main social media platforms used were Telegram (53%), Facebook (39%), and TikTok (8%).
The main accounts and channels disseminating the content were Hminewai "မှိုင်းဝေ" (18 posts) and "Ka Ka Han" (10 posts).
Hate speech arises from emotions of hatred, and as such, there is no universally broad and precise definition. For the purpose of this report, BHRN defines hate speech as follows:
It refers to strongly criticizing, blaming, inciting hatred against, or hating an individual or group, based on protected characteristics, and expressing such discriminatory and degrading treatment through speech, writing, behavior, or artistic expression.
It also refers to speech that harms the inherent rights of a person based on religion, language, gender, sexual orientation, nationality or origin, ethnicity, skin color, race, beliefs, citizenship, physical appearance, and similar characteristics.
In this study, the hate speech identified is categorized as follows:
● Hate speech portraying targets as criminals
● Hate speech using bullying & harassment language
● Hate speech that dehumanizes individuals
● Hate speech encouraging violence
● Hate speech expressed as threats
● Hate speech glorifying acts committed due to violence and hatred