18 February 2026 | New Day Myanmar
Myanmar’s military junta is building a digital authoritarian system that systematically monitors and represses the public through the use of digital technologies, according to a report submitted to the United Nations by Human Rights Myanmar (HRM).
According to the report, released in November 2025, the junta has moved beyond traditional censorship and is now using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and algorithmic systems to conduct round-the-clock surveillance of the population. HRM warned that these practices are fundamentally undermining the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression.
The report states that since the 2021 coup, AI-based facial recognition cameras have been widely installed in major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay. These systems are reportedly linked to the national identity database, enabling real-time identification of people moving in public spaces. As a result, protesters and activists can no longer remain anonymous even within crowds and face an increased risk of arrest.
HRM also said the junta has constructed a “Great Firewall” using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology to control internet usage. This technology allows authorities to monitor even encrypted communications, while the use of VPNs has increasingly been treated as a criminal offense. Consequently, secure communication channels for the public have been severely restricted.
On the legal front, the report noted that the junta has weaponized laws, including the Cybersecurity Law, to allow the seizure of phone data and location information without warrants. Through the combined use of technology and repressive legislation, nearly 30,000 people had been arbitrarily arrested by 2025, according to HRM’s documentation.
The report further highlighted that women activists have been specifically targeted through systematic online attacks, including the exposure of personal information and the spread of sexualized disinformation.
HRM urged the international community to take immediate action to halt the export of surveillance technologies to the junta, impose sanctions on technology companies involved in enabling repression, and strengthen measures to protect the personal data and digital security of the Myanmar people.
