REFORMING TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN BURMA Human Rights and Responsible Investment in Mobile and the Internet In January 2013, the Burmese government opened the country’s telecommunications sector to foreign investment, promising to increase the availability of affordable mobile phones in Burma. Yet the government’s human rights reforms, including reforms in the internet and telecommunications sectors, so far have been incomplete and inadequate. New digital technologies can become powerful tools for censorship and illegal surveillance, absent protections for rights. In this context, international technology companies risk being linked to abuses if they enter the Burmese market without human rights safeguards and before adequate legal protections are in place. Reforming Telecommunications in Burma analyzes the current state of legal reform for the Internet and mobile sectors. Harsh laws enacted by the former military government, which were used to limit access to technology and prosecute dissidents for their online activity, remain in place. The use of these laws has significantly diminished since the end of direct military rule. However, as long as they remain in force, there is risk that the government can selectively enforce those laws to silence bloggers and activists, and seek the aid of technology companies to do so. This report outlines steps necessary to promote adequate protections for Internet and mobile phone users in Burma, and the actions needed to foster responsible investment in Burma’s telecommunications and Internet sectors. Human Rights Watch calls on the government to repeal existing draconian laws and enact new legislation for these sectors that protects basic rights. Technology companies entering Burma should adopt human rights safeguards and address harms linked to their operations. A worker uses a mobile phone in Burma, where the government plans to increase mobile access to 50 percent in three years. © 2013 Reuters hrw.org