Fourth Year Under Myanmar Military’s Digital Iron Curtain: A Reflecti... 3 of 5 https://www.techpolicy.press/fourth-year-under-myanmar-militarys-digit... OUR CONTENT. DELIVERED. Join our newsletter on issues and ideas at the intersection of tech & democracy Subscribe The project has also been weaponized against thousands of civil servants who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Nearly 300,000 individuals who refused to return to their posts have been hit with arrest warrants, with their names flagged in the junta’s database. Many have tried to flee the country using false identities, but with the system now cross-referencing biometric data across passports, SIM cards, and financial records, escape has become nearly impossible. It is a cruel irony that the CDM — a movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s anti-colonial struggle in India — is now being crushed by technology with origins in India. Internet shutdowns: a tool of oppression Internet shutdowns have been one of the military’s primary tools of oppression. Between 2021 and 2024, the military ordered at least 459 internet shutdowns, affecting over 200 of Myanmar’s 330 townships and earning the junta the infamy of being one of the biggest shutdown offenders across the globe. The worst-hit areas — Chin, Sagaing, Rakhine, and Karenni — have faced prolonged blackouts, leaving communities cut off from communication for years. Access Now and #KeepItOn coalition’s recent report makes it evident that the junta, once again, was among the world’s top internet shutdown abusers in 2024, and imposed over 85 instances of shutdowns impacting multiple townships at once. Beyond blocking information about human rights abuses and its repression, the junta employs internet blackouts to conceal military operations targeting civilians. The military frequently cuts communication before launching airstrikes, preventing civilians from reporting attacks or seeking help. According to the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP), the military has carried out more than 8000 airstrikes in the last four years until mid-January 2025, killing at least 1,980 civilians. In 2024, at least 17 shutdowns imposed by the junta were correlated with airstrikes on villages with civilians. Myanmar’s ongoing national conflict has also contributed to a worsening connectivity crisis. Widespread electricity shortages, destruction of cell towers, and fuel supply disruptions have plunged over a third of the country into persistent internet blackouts, affecting education, business, and emergency communication. 3/25/25, 5:10 PM