Regulation

Myanmar’s military enacts new cybersecurity law

Myanmar’s military enacts new cybersecurity law

The military government in Myanmar, which seized power in a coup in February 2021, has enacted a new cybersecurity law which imposes wide-ranging controls on the flow of information. The measures were announced last Friday in state-run newspapers, though reports suggest they came into effect two days’ earlier.

The military government has made several previous attempts to restrict online traffic. The AP news service says that users of most free VPN services found themselves unable to connect in May last year, and some people whose phones were found to have VPN apps were fined and detained.

Around that time the Transport and Communications Ministry told telecom companies and internet service providers that access to Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, WhatsApp and VPN services was banned.

There have also been actions to block websites and apps at the network level, keeping end users from accessing content the army doesn’t want them to see. Technology from Myanmar's allies China and Russia is used for monitoring and censorship purposes.

The new law calls for sanctions, including warnings, fines, suspensions blacklisting and potentially closure for digital platform service providers who fail to comply with the rules. Unauthorised VPN provision could mean  imprisonment or a fine as well as seizure of equipment.

The new law also targets anyone who builds an online gambling system without obtaining official permission.

A number of other Asian nations have also proposed or enacted cybersecurity laws with restrictive aspects. As we reported at the time, an internet law that gives the government power to regulate online content took effect in Vietnam late last year.

As in Vietnam, the new law in Myanmar requires digital platform service providers to keep the names and other personal data and records of their users – in this case for up to three years – and to disclose them to the authorities if asked.

Resistance to the Myanmar military has relied heavily on social media. The Telegram chat and social networking app is reportedly particularly active.

The military has full control of less than a quarter of Myanmar's territory, according to a BBC World Service investigation late last year.



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