Myanmar’s Digital Crackdown is Worsening: The World is Stepping Back | TechPolicy.Press the Mandalay Region su!ering severe damage. While physical 7/24/25, 12:16 PM TOPICS devastation grabbed headlines, a parallel crisis was unfolding in the country’s digital landscape. According to a report by a nonprofit organization, Athan, in the days before the earthquake, 107 townships were already under internet shutdowns, and that Disinformation Human Rights number jumped to 138 in early April. In Mandalay, mobile data services were inaccessible throughout April due to infrastructure damage, with limited and unreliable WiFi in some areas. Nearly two months later, internet connectivity has returned to parts of Mandalay, but across the country, five out of fourteen states and regions still have no access to the internet, while the rest su!er from unstable and fragmented connectivity. The junta's breakdown of the communications infrastructure has forced the people in Myanmar further into isolation. Phone lines no longer work in many areas, and smartphones are becoming redundant without mobile or internet services. Worryingly, the crisis of connectivity is not limited to actions by the military. Armed resistance groups have begun to manage or interfere with alternative communication networks, including satellite-based systems. Last year, three such groups were reportedly disrupting Starlink and other satellite services. According to the monthly monitoring reports of the Myanmar Internet Project, today, the number of resistance armed groups disrupting Starlink and other alternative communication and satellite services has grown to at least five or six. Attempts to maintain communication through satellite services like Starlink have also come under direct threat from the junta. Local sources report that rescue operations using Starlink devices have faced crackdowns, including confiscation of equipment and the threat of arrest. In at least one documented case, military forces conducted raids on a village where Starlink was in use. These actions have instilled fear among communities trying to keep even the faintest link to the outside world. https://www.techpolicy.press/myanmars-digital-crackdown-is-worsening-the-world-is-stepping-back/ Page 3 of 7