Junta soldiers in some Myanmar cities have begun randomly inspecting the mobile phones of pedestrians, threatening those who use virtual private networks, or VPNs, with steep fines and even arrest, according to residents who spoke to RFA Burmese.
In late May, the junta announced a ban on VPN software, which masks users’ locations, permitting them to bypass junta restrictions on social media sites and apps that serve as key sources of news in the nation that has been wracked by a three-year civil war.
Since then, security forces have begun stopping passersby in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay, as well as in townships across Sagaing, Bago, Ayeyarwady and Chin state, and demanding money from those they catch with the software.
The sweeps are similar to those reported in Yangon in January 2022, shortly before the one-year anniversary of the February 2021 coup, when the military removed a democratically elected government from power. But unlike those checks, the latest crackdown appears widespread and coordinated.
“If the software was found, the junta forces asked for 300,000 ($140) to 400,000 kyats ($184). Those who did not pay the money were taken to the police station. It is unknown if anyone was arrested for their VPN, but four or five people have paid money to avoid arrest,” said a resident of Mawlamyinegyun township in Ayeyarwady region.
In Paunde township, Bago region, a resident reported that someone was arrested on June 11 for possessing the software on his phone.
“Today, inspections are being made randomly at the junctions in the town,” he added, asking not to be identified due to security concerns.
In Hakha city of Chin state, residents said junta troops made surprise checks on mobile phones of civilians and extorted anywhere from 1 million ($460) to 3 million ($1380) kyats if they found VPN software.
Stronger firewall
Shortly after the 2021 coup, the junta banned access to Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in Myanmar. In a country where Facebook remains the chief way to access information, many citizens resorted to VPNs which mask the location of the devices they used to view the site.
But on May 30, the ban was extended to include VPN, software, which in the three years since the takeover had become widely used to scale the junta’s web-page firewall from within Myanmar.
The impact on the public’s access to news – while the country is embroiled in a conflict between the military and various rebel groups – has been quick and severe, according to residents.
A 60-year-old woman said that news is delayed “four or five days” without the ability to access Facebook and other sites with a VPN connection.
"In the past, we received news updates immediately," the woman said. "I didn't even know that Tin Oo had passed away until now," she added, referring to the patron of Myanmar's deposed National League for Democracy party, who died June 1 at age 98.
Htin Lin Aung, the minister of Communications, Information and Technology for Myanmar’s government-in-exile, the National Unity Government, or NUG, told RFA that shutting down VPNs has dealt a significant blow to both the public and rebel forces.
“In the past, social media was blocked and the internet was shut down, but VPN technology provided a way to overcome these barriers,” he said. “Now, with the VPN ban, it is much more difficult to bypass restrictions. They [the junta] can track our locations, service providers, and IP addresses.”
But Htin Lin Aung said that the NUG had “anticipated such measures” and prepared in advance.
"Our [homegrown] VPN has been submitted and approved by our cabinet,” he said, adding that a messaging application had also been developed and tested, which he called “crucial for rebel forces.”
“Supporting all the people would require a substantial budget, so for now, these applications are being used exclusively by the rebel forces."
Gar Gar, a member and fundraiser for the People’s Defense Force – made up of ordinary citizens who have taken up arms against the junta – said that the VPN block is likely also aimed at cutting into online campaigns spread via social media that have been crucial to raising funds for anti-junta forces.
“The junta is blocking information, and has prepared to stop lucky draws and other fundraising campaigns that support the revolution. They know the effectiveness of such activities,” she said.
According to a local news outlet, Chinese tech groups are collaborating with a Myanmar company that secured a bid from the military council to enforce the VPN ban.
Mascots Technologies & Telecommunication reportedly spearheaded the VPN shutdown and obtained an operating license from the Ministry of Transport and Communications on May 8, 2018, valid until May 7, 2033.
Mascots Technologies & Telecommunication did not respond to requests for comment nor did Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the junta’s spokesperson.
Junta alternatives
This is not the first time that the junta has tried to control social media networks.
Apart from the ongoing ban on Facebook and other messaging and social media platforms, the junta has been mulling a draconian cybersecurity bill since February 2021. If the law were passed, VPN users could face up to three years in prison and a 500,000 kyat fine.
Before going after individuals for VPN use, the junta would routinely request telecoms to block particular websites or VPNs, creating a game of cat and mouse. One user told RFA that she routinely toggles through 20 VPNs while trying to access Facebook for basic information, like reviews of schools she’s considering sending her children to.
Wai Phyo Myint of Access Now, a group campaigning for digital rights, told RFA that the latest VPN crackdown represents the worst form of escalation.
“For those banned on May 30, it is said that the control comes directly from Naypyidaw. The current situation with the bans is getting worse."
Simultaneously, the junta has repeatedly tried to replace social networking platforms such as Facebook and YouTube with applications under their control.
MySPACE
The latest of those is a social networking platform called MySPACE, recently released by the junta. News of the platform was met by a successful campaign to have it removed from Google and Apple's app stores.
An IT expert, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said that the military council wanted to use MySPACE to collect people's information.
"This information is provided to Facebook. So, even as I sit in Myanmar browsing the internet, [Facebook] knows my phone number, they know me after tracing the internet I use, they know where I am located. Their [the junta’s] aim is to amass such data on their servers, nudging users toward Myspace to wield control over information flow."
Experts said they doubted the junta’s software would gain much traction, but also said the VPN block could well be limited in its impact in the long term.
“The junta will keep restrictions on VPN, but people will try to overcome it. Many paid VPNs are now available. Small VPNs could not overcome the restrictions, but more advanced VPN could not be controlled,” said one IT expert, though he noted that more advanced VPNs were likely too expensive for many to access.
Lin Htet Aung, a former military officer who joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement after the coup, said the ban reflected the junta’s failures to sway public opinion.
"Hence, they resort to banning these platforms, much like North Korea and China, in order to monopolize the dissemination of their own rhetoric and propaganda. This manipulation serves as a means of confining people within a narrow framework, stifling access to alternative perspectives and knowledge," he said.
According to a report by the Freedom on the Net group released in 2023, Myanmar is the second-worst country in the world for internet freedom violations.
Under the military regime, people who upload anti-junta posts on social media were arrested very frequently. Between February 2022 and the end of September 2023, a total of 1,306 anti-junta critics through social media were arrested, according to the research group Data for Myanmar.
Translated by Aung Naing and Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Abby Seiff, Josh Lipes and Malcolm Foster.