How the military blocked independent media during the 2025-6 elections March 2026 Executive Summary Several hours before the military launched the February 2021 coup, it raided the offices of telecommunications companies, ordering them to shut down internet access and restore it only once a comprehensive set of digital blocks had been implemented. The military’s targets included social media networks and many of the country’s independent media outlets. Five years later, during the military’s 2025–26 sham elections, these blocks became the cornerstone of the regime’s digital election strategy. This report reveals the evolution of these blocks, tracking their intensification during the elections. As the first in a series of investigations which will later cover journalists’ experiences, this report exposes the military’s weaponisation of internet infrastructure to systematically censor the media and deny the public their fundamental right to access information. Key Findings • The military significantly increased its website blocking during the elections, obstructing 93% of public attempts to access the large independent media websites. • The blocks increased according to each outlet’s criticism of the military with those most critical facing over 90% obstruction compared to 0% for those complying with the military's narrative. • To stop people evading the blocks, the military increased blocks on encryption and circumvention tools to 97% and 93% while simultaneously Page 2 of 17