HRM submission to UN says Myanmar junta building ‘digital dictatorship’ to crush dissent

Mizzima

Human Rights Myanmar (HRM) says Myanmar’s military junta has constructed an integrated digital surveillance system to dismantle freedom of assembly and association in a report submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and association in November 2025.

HRM describes the system as a “digital dictatorship,” combining AI-powered CCTV systems, internet firewalls, spyware, and sweeping cybersecurity laws to identify, track, and imprison critics.

The report details that since the 2021 coup, the junta has deployed facial recognition cameras in major cities, including Yangon and Mandalay, supplied by Chinese firms such as Dahua, Huawei, and Hikvision. Surveillance footage is allegedly matched against national ID databases to identify protest participants for arrest.

At the network level, HRM said authorities are building a “Great Firewall” system using deep packet inspection technology that can monitor and block encrypted communications. The group also documented the use of spyware obtained from suppliers in China, Russia, and Iran to infiltrate devices and track activists.

HRM’s submission argues that the junta has dismantled legal safeguards and replaced them with amended laws. These include the Electronic Transactions Law, Counter-Terrorism Law bylaws, and a 2025 Cybersecurity Law. Through these dubious legal provisions, authorities are granted broad powers to access data, criminalise online dissent, and prosecute VPN use.

As of November 2025, nearly 30,000 people have been arbitrarily detained since the coup, HRM said. Digital surveillance has served as primary evidence in many prosecutions.

Women activists have been disproportionately targeted through coordinated online harassment, doxing, and sexualised disinformation campaigns, often followed by offline arrests, the report added.

HRM warned that the expansion of biometric data collection and a national electronic ID system could enable what it described as “algorithmic repression” against ethnic minorities.

The group urged the UN and member states to suspend the transfer of surveillance technologies to Myanmar and sanction suppliers. Greater accountability should also be demanded of telecom operators and digital platforms that facilitate the system.