Myanmar’s junta engaged in systemic digital surveillance and discrimination, rights group warns

Mizzima

Myanmar’s military junta has constructed a “near-total surveillance state” using repressive digital laws, biometric monitoring, and AI-powered tools to erode privacy rights and target marginalized groups, according to a new report by Human Rights Myanmar (HRM).

The submission, made to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights under Resolution 54/21, outlines how the junta has systematically dismantled privacy protections since the 2021 coup, enacting sweeping surveillance measures that disproportionately harm ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and political dissidents.

At the heart of this digital crackdown is the 2025 Cyber Security Law, which compels digital platforms to store personal user data – including names, IP addresses, and browsing logs – for three years and hand it over to the authorities upon demand. Appeals are processed by military-controlled bodies, eliminating any semblance of judicial oversight.