Myanmar’s military rulers impose wide-ranging online censorship

The Associated Press
Myanmar’s military rulers, notorious for cracking down on free speech, have enacted a cybersecurity law that imposes extensive restrictions on the flow of information, a state-run newspaper reported in January 2025.
Existing controls on freedom of expression generally involve charges under broadly defined national security laws concerning online content. There also have been actions blocking websites and apps at the network level, keeping end-users from accessing content the ruling military junta doesn’t want them to see. Technology from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, the regime’s main allies, is used for monitoring and censorship.
Since seizing power from the democratically elected government in February 2021, Myanmar’s military junta has perpetrated a violent assault against its domestic civilian opponents and cracked down on online speech that promotes democracy or encourages armed resistance. Freedom House, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, cited the junta’s suppression in its annual assessment of internet access, content limits and user rights violations in 72 nations worldwide. Its 2024 survey ranked Myanmar as the worst offender alongside the PRC.
Meanwhile, resistance groups comprised of pro-democracy civilians and ethnic minorities have defeated junta forces and gained territory.
The new law, which took effect January 1, 2025, has extensive provisions targeting means of communications and providers of services such as virtual private networks (VPN), which allow users to evade network restrictions. VPNs connect users to sites through third-party computers, effectively masking what content they are accessing.
The military junta previously tried to stifle internet traffic, especially in the months after its takeover. Resistance to the coup relied heavily on social media to organize protests. As nonviolent resistance turned into armed struggle and independent media providers were shut down or forced underground, anti-junta forces increased their online postings.
Digital platform service providers could face fines and suspensions under the new law, which also requires them to retain users’ names and other personal data and records for up to three years and to disclose the information to authorities if requested.
The law threatens fines or imprisonment for anyone who establishes a VPN or provides VPN services without official permission.