Myanmar’s 2025 Cybersecurity Law, enacted by the illegitimate military regime, is not about protecting cybersecurity—it is a tool to entrench state control over the digital space. Lacking fundamental safeguards for users, the law severely threatens privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information. It grants the State Administration Council unchecked power to surveil individuals, impose strict data retention requirements, and criminalise dissent under vague and overly broad provisions.
EngageMedia will be part of an online discussion on the human rights implications of the law at RightsCon 2025.
Session details
Session: Myanmar’s cyber law 2025: now with more censorship, less human rights!
Date: February 25, 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Taipei time (UTC+8)
Location: Online (via the RightsCon Summit platform)
Speakers:
- Svetlana Zens, ARTICLE19 (Asia Pacific)
- Yin Maung, Project Coordinator, EngageMedia
- Nandar, Senior Program Professional in Digital Safety and Digital Security Trainer, Digisec Lab
To join the session, register for RightsCon to access the Summit Platform.
Understanding the law’s impact
The cybersecurity law has profound implications beyond Myanmar’s borders. The international community must recognise it as part of the regime’s broader digital authoritarianism and take decisive action. Tech companies, policymakers, and civil society must push back against this repressive framework by:
- Advocating for diplomatic and economic consequences
- Pressuring tech companies to ensure the protection of users in Myanmar.
- Strengthening open internet efforts by supporting Myanmar civil society with secure communication tools, funding for digital safety initiatives, and legal assistance for those targeted under the law.
- Engage the international community in establishing stronger regional cybersecurity and digital rights frameworks to prevent authoritarian governments from using similar digital repression models.
The RightsCon session will analyse how the law’s repressive measures affect civil society, the private sector, and Myanmar’s overall cyber stability.
Joining RightsCon 2025? EngageMedia will be presenting the community-run digital security resource digisec.wiki on February 25. Learn more here.
