Internet freedom declined after the transfer of power from the military-backed government to the National League for Democracy (NLD) party chaired by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in April 2016. Dozens of internet users were prosecuted under the Telecommunication Law, and a journalist was killed, possibly in relation to social media posts exposing illegal logging. Internet and mobile penetration have increased dramatically since the former military leadership allowed Norway’s Telenor Group and Qatar’s Ooredoo to enter the telecommunications market alongside state-owned Myanmar Post Telecommunication (MPT) in 2013. A fourth operator entered the market in 2017 but had yet to offer service as of mid-year. The previous government selected the military-linked consortium behind the new entrant to apply for a license before the leadership change. While service remains prohibitively slow for most, the internet is gradually becoming a useful tool in daily life, enabling app-based transportation services in major cities and digital advocacy efforts. Aung San Suu Kyi set her government’s top priority to negotiate internal peace with armed ethnic groups radicalized by decades of discriminatory policies, like the Muslim Rohingya, who are denied citizenship under Myanmar’s laws. 1 However, conflicts have intensified in the northeastern states of Kachin and Shan. In western Rakhine state, the security forces’ response to an October 2016 attack by alleged Rohingya militants launched a campaign of persecution that Human Rights Watch characterized as ethnic cleansing in September 2017. 2 In this environment, securitization has overwhelmed concern for human rights, including free speech online. The new government has drawn particular criticism for failing to check prosecutions involving online speech under the Telecommunication Law. Sixty-eight cases have been documented since the law passed in 2013. Among them, 61 were filed after the civilian-dominated government came to power, including 14 involving journalists. Politicians, military figures, and ordinary internet users sued based on criticism, satire, and commentary published online. The accused were held for long periods without bail, and many were tried and sentenced. A. Obstacles to Access Internet access is improving in Myanmar, as increasing numbers of users go online via cell phones, which are becoming more affordable. Yet internet penetration still ranks