Myanmar anti-fraud bill would expand surveillance and repression, rights group says

Mizzima

Myanmar’s proposed Anti-Online Fraud Bill would grant the military government broad powers to monitor communications, censor online content, and freeze financial assets under the pretext of combating cybercrime, according to a legal analysis by Human Rights Myanmar published on 8 June.

The rights group said the draft, released by the junta in May, focuses less on online fraud and more on expanding state control over digital communication and financial systems.

“The Anti-Online Fraud Bill is not a genuine public safety measure,” Human Rights Myanmar said in an analysis released on 8 June. “It is a repressive security instrument that uses the language of cybersecurity and transnational crime to legitimise mass surveillance, censorship, financial coercion, and extreme criminal punishment under military rule.”

The analysis states that the bill would require banks, telecom companies, and internet providers to merge their systems into a state-controlled network, allowing authorities to access communication and financial data in real time. The proposal also forces telecom operators to provide records on demand, without judicial review, and penalizes staff for noncompliance.

Human Rights Myanmar argued the measures violate international standards on privacy and due process, warning they could be used to target activists, journalists, and civil society groups outside military control.

The analysis also criticised provisions allowing authorities to block websites and social media accounts suspected of involvement in fraud, saying vague references to “false” information could be used to criminalise reporting, digital activism and online criticism of the military government.

Another section would allow rapid account freezes and increased financial monitoring, which the group said could disrupt humanitarian aid, mutual assistance, and support for Myanmar’s anti-junta movement.

Human Rights Myanmar also condemned clauses permitting the death penalty for certain online fraud offences, including digital financial crimes, saying such punishments are grossly disproportionate and conflict with international law.

The group urged the military government to withdraw the bill and called on international actors to avoid legitimizing it as a standard anti-fraud measure.