Did Technology Help Prevent a Massacre?

The crackdown on protesters in Burma could have been much worse. Although the event is far from over and the junta hasn't finished its violence agaisnt citizens, those who marched in the streets gave the world an unprecedented look into a country that has lived behind the censorship of a repressive military government for more than two decades. The use of modern technology gives the monks the ability to show the world their protest:

The military junta rules and the press is government controlled and heavily censored. Yet as images of the monks' protests are splashed around the world's media it is apparent technology in the form of blogs, digital photos, and text messaging has become the chink in the regime's armor.

"The technology is making a huge difference. Now everyone in the world can know what is happening in Burma (Myanmar) via the Internet," said Sein Win, managing editor of Mizzima News, an India-based news group run by exiled dissidents, "It is a reality of globalization. Whether the junta likes it or not, the government cannot isolate itself from the international community," Sein Win said.

Technology is playing a vital role in helping the world see exactly what is going on inside the country. Now that the Burmese government is in the international spotlight, a violent repression could be instantly broadcast to the entire world. While this probably isn't the sole reason a massacre didn't occur, it may have had a hand in preventing a brutal crackdown on the scale of the 1988 massacre. If the junta didn't care about public opinion, it wouldn't have one of the most restrictive Internet policies in the world according to reporters without borders.

Today, there are reports that the Burmese government has shut down the Internet in attempts to quell the unrest and reports leaving the country:

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — As soldiers in Myanmar intensified their crackdown on pro-democracy protesters Friday, authorities also went after the Internet and mobile phones that have proven so vital and powerful in documenting the dramatic confrontations.

The Internet has played a crucial role in the flow of information out of the reclusive Southeast Asian nation where few foreign journalists are permitted to operate and media freedom is severely restricted.

It is important that the world keeps its attention focused on the situation in Burma. While reports from inside the country may decrease, exiles in Thailand and India are still posting blogs, video and pictures that give at least some idea about the situation:

Restrictions on Internet use imposed by the military's State Peace and Development Council sharply reduced the flow of information. As a result, Thailand-based exile groups and outside observers had only a sketchy picture of what was going on in Rangoon, Burma's main city, and the dozen other places where anti-government protesters led by Buddhist monks have mounted the strongest challenge to the junta since 1988.

In addition to exiles, satellite imaging has provided a look into the destruction the Burmese government is causing. The world needs to continue to see these images.