Concl
ion
Censorship and surveillance are rising concerns in Myanmar under the NLD Prior to 2020 internet
censorship such as the blocking of certain websites was not a common tactic used by the
government Six months into the conflict in Rakhine however the NLD started shutting down the
internet in townships where clashes were occurring Soon media websites reporting on the conflict in
Rakhine were censored This research study helped illuminate some of the blocking that is ongoing
such as the website of a campaign collecting evidence to expose the business network funding
oppression in Myanmar but more work needs to be done Little transparency from either the
government or ISPs exists on the issue as the list of blocked websites has never been made publicly
available
The majority of interviewees for this research study reported feeling less secure online as compared
to offline In light of recent government efforts like the SMMT human rights defenders activists and
journalists have started self censoring themselves to avoid harassment from authorities Even so
these individuals still face harassment intimidation racism and surveillance in both the online and
offline spaces
It is of grave concern to see the government implementing a surveillance system in a country where
no legal framework to protect people s rights exists Without sufficient legal protection there are
immense concerns regarding government projects such as smart cities a national ID system and the
use of artificial intelligence Legal reform in which all stakeholders can take part is therefore needed
to ensure new frameworks are compliant with international human rights and data privacy laws In
addition newly bestowed legal protection must go beyond just Myanmar citizens to encompass
minorities who are not being granted citizenship due to their religious or ethnic affiliations
With regards to safety digital security alone cannot be considered Rather it is essential to approach
security and safety in a holistic manner where physical and psychological well being are taken in
account as well Such an integrated security approach must also incorporate the needs of individuals
as well as groups
Looking to the future the hope is that this study will serve as a stepping stone off which additional
studies will be conducted There are many other areas of interest that need to be explored such as:
Censorship
The Citizen Lab s test list needs to be reviewed and updated While acknowledging
the risk running the tools such as OONI it is important to measure various forms of
internet censorship such as the blocking of websites instant messaging apps and
circumvention tools to potentially serve as evidence of Internet censorship Of
particular note it would be interesting to see how the blocking varies across the
states and regions
Surveillance
The source of funding for the surveillance capacity of the police should be
investigated Learning more about which surveillance technology is being used and
documenting instances of its abuse would be particularly useful