Irrawaddy-Feb 25
Myanmar has emerged as the global leader in internet shutdowns with 85 deliberate disruptions in 2024, according to a new report. Myanmar ranks ahead of India’s 84 shutdowns and Pakistan’s 21 in the report by New York-based monitoring and digital advocacy group Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, a campaign launched in 2016 to combat internet shutdowns. The 296 internet shutdowns across 54 countries in 2024 are up from 283 incidents in 39 countries the previous year, and the lion’s share happened in Myanmar. The military junta has used internet blackouts to quiet opposition and restrict information, particularly during periods of violence. Of Myanmar’s 85 shutdowns last year, 31 are directly tied to human rights violations, including airstrikes on civilian populations and protest crackdowns. Seventeen coincided with military offensives, severing communication for affected communities.
The Asia-Pacific region reported 202 shutdowns in total, with Myanmar, India, and Pakistan behind 64 percent of all shutdowns worldwide. So far ahead are they of the rogues’ gallery of oppressive regimes and failed states around the world that—with the exception of fourth-ranked Russia with 13—the shutdowns of all the rest are in single figures. Wai Phyo Myint, an Asia Pacific policy analyst at Access Now, said in the report, “For the fourth consecutive year, the Myanmar military remained one of the world’s worst perpetrators of internet shutdowns in 2024—clear evidence of the junta’s blatant disregard for international human rights order and increasing weaponization of connectivity to disempower people in Myanmar.” She urged the international community to act collectively to end shutdowns permanently and halt these violations.
The military’s tactics have cut off millions, blocking emergency services and external communication. Cross-border shutdowns, supported by neighboring Thailand and China, were recorded six times in 2024, further compounding the crisis. While resistance groups like the National Unity Government have also disrupted internet access, the majority of shutdowns stem from the military rulers. Since the coup in 2021, there have been hundreds of shutdowns, and Facebook, still Myanmar people’s primary source of news and information, has been blocked. Facebook has been a tool for organizing resistance against the regime, making it a critical target for the junta’s efforts to control the narrative and suppress dissent. The block forces people to rely on virtual private networks (VPNs), and the situation deteriorated further with the junta’s introduction of a new law banning VPNs in January 2025. Read more at:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-leads-global-regimes-in-digital-repression.html
