The Myanmar military junta is intensifying repression in states and regions under its control through various surveillance technologies, according to the Myanmar Internet Project (MIP) and digital rights monitors.
Records from MIP show that since the military takeover, there have been up to 357 internet shutdowns in areas where the military’s control is weaker. Meanwhile, in the states and regions firmly under military control, multiple forms of surveillance technologies continue to be deployed.
These include collecting personal data, networks of CCTV cameras, insecure communication interception, social media monitoring, online financial transaction tracking, and geolocation technologies—all actively used in these insecure areas.
Through these technologies, citizens are under constant, full-time surveillance everywhere, directly violating their fundamental freedoms and rights to free expression, a responsible MIP official said at a press conference held yesterday.
“We are always under surveillance. Our freedoms are constantly being violated. Since the coup, things have become quieter on the surface, but behind that silence, monitoring, arrests, detentions, and threats to life have all increased,” the official explained.
Additionally, due to the collection of biometric and personal data during passport issuance processes, most citizens’ information is now stored in the military council’s National Database, raising further concerns.
Since the end of 2023, nearly the entire town of Mawlamyine in Mon State has been equipped with surveillance cameras. The military uses these technologies to arrest collaborators, those listed in military wanted registers, and others targeted by the council.
A woman from Mawlamyine shared, “In some areas just a bit beyond the southeast parts, there are strict military checks. Previously, only men were checked, but now they check women thoroughly. They (the military) question everything—motorbike boxes, where we’re going and coming from, what work we do, and where we live. They investigate every detail.”
With the widespread deployment of surveillance technologies by the military council, Myanmar is subjected to comprehensive monitoring nationwide. This systematic violation of personal freedoms increases the risks of arrests, detention, and threats to life. The Myanmar Internet Project urges people to understand digital security and personal freedoms and to prepare accordingly.
