Myanmar Junta Launches Street Phone Checks as Cybersecurity Law Takes Effect

Junta patrols by soldiers, Pyu Saw Htee militia and traffic police have started checking the phones of pedestrians and motorists in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, after junta boss Min Aung Hlaing signed the Cybersecurity Law into effect on July 30.

According to locals, these checks go beyond routine vehicle and driving license verification and now include invasive searches of mobile phones for social media usage and Virtual Private Network (VPN) software.

“I thought it was just a regular license check, so I stopped my motorbike. Once they saw everything was in order, they inspected my phone. After failing to find VPN software or Facebook on my phone, they accused me of deleting them,” said a 25-year-old man from Maha Aungmyay Township.