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CYBER THREAT ANALYSIS By Insikt Group® CTA-2021-0324 Myanmar Coup and Internet Censorship Pushes Civilians to Underground Forums, Dark Web

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Myanmar Coup and Internet Censorship Pushes Civilians to Underground Forums, Dark Web

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Language

English

Topic

Digital Rights
Internet Restrictions
Military Coup

Author(s)

Insikt Group

Date Published: Mar 24, 2021

Abstract: On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military staged a
government coup, arresting the democratically elected leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD). Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the military junta, stated that the November 8, 2020 election was fraudulent and that Aung Sang Suu Kyi and her elected party members were not the rightful leaders of the country. Hlaing imposed a 1 year state of emergency which would be followed by another election. The detainment of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, a popular figure within Myanmar and a symbol for Myanmar’s democracy, has led to mass protests by her supporters, with thousands of individuals taking to the streets to protest against her arrest, and other individuals taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). The protesters have been in direct conflict with security forces, and there has been escalating violence and use of force by the military in recent weeks, with over 200 civilians reported killed and over 2,100 detained at the time of writing. The military has also imposed strict rules, such as curfews and censorship laws, aimed at preventing the mass coordination of protests within the country. The initial days of the military coup saw the shutdown of Myanmar’s internet entirely and the ban of many popular social media applications such as Facebook. While Facebook and other social media applications have since been reinstated, there are still nightly blackouts imposed by the military when Burmese are unable to access the internet. The military censorship has not deterred Burmese from finding alternatives to amplify their pro-democracy messaging, with many turning to alternative media sources, underground networks, and downloading tools to bypass censorship restrictions to amplify their narrative.

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Myanmar Internet Project

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Myanmar Coup and Internet Censorship Pushes Civilians to Underground Forums, Dark Web

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