Myanmar groups to sue Telenor over data sharing with junta | Reuters
10/14/25, 10:31 AM
The civil society groups bringing the lawsuit, Defend Myanmar Democracy and the Myanmar
Internet Project, said several people were arbitrarily detained and tortured in custody after their
Telenor data was shared and at least one person was killed.
Phoe Zeya Thaw, a popular hip hop artist and lawmaker, was executed alongside three other
activists accused of helping carry out "terror acts" in 2022, prompting an international outcry.
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The lawmaker’s wife, Tha Zin, who is among the claimants, said in the statement she was
“terribly disturbed and shocked” by Telenor’s link to his arrest, which she said came a few weeks
after the firm passed data from his cell phone to the military.
The statement did not cite specific evidence but a lawyer at Simonsen Vogt Wiig, the firm
representing the groups, said the decision to hand over data went "all the way to the top" of
Telenor.
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Ko Ye, another claimant in the lawsuit, told Reuters many Myanmar people chose to use
Telenor's network because they believed it was the safest option due to its international
connections.
"Those corporations they have to respect our rights. Our data is part of our rights, they cannot
do whatever they want," he said.
Reporting by Poppy McPherson in Bangkok and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/myanmar-groups-sue-telenor-over-data-sharing-with-junta-2025-10-07/
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