03 Unpacking the different types of digital repression 3.1 State control over digital spaces: Myanmar’s repressive legislation Since the February 2021 coup, the junta has unilaterally amended laws to suppress fundamental human rights including digital rights. This was done through the systematic dismantling of Myanmar’s democratic institutions. The legislature was dissolved, executive power was concentrated in the hands of a military council called the State Administrative Council (SAC) and the judiciary has since functioned under the control of the junta, undermining judicial independence. These structural shifts have enabled the junta to enforce a repressive legal framework without checks and balances, facilitating widespread human rights abuses both offline and online. In the aftermath of the coup, the junta weaponised legal reforms to legitimise surveillance and suppress online expression. It imposed seven major amendments and laws to monitor, criminalise and punish digital dissent. These were: amendments to the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens;7 the revision of the Penal Code;8 the amendment of the Electronic Transactions Law;9 the amendment of the Broadcasting 7 https://myanmar-law-library.org/law-library/laws-and-regulations/laws/myanmar-laws-1988-until-now/state-administration-council-2021/myanmar-laws-2021/state-administration-council-law-no-04-2021-amendment-of-law-protection-the. html 8 https://www.law-democracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Myanmar.Penal-Code-Analysis.Burmese.FINAL_.pdf 9 https://www.myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org/pdf/electronic-transactions-law_consolidated_2014-and-2021_my.pdf 10