A cybersecurity bill to be implemented in Myanmar has sparked protests that it will be used to stifle dissent rather than protect privacy.
Human rights defenders issued statements on Friday urging the country’s military leaders to abandon the plan and end the internet disruptions that have intensified since the February 1 coup.
The bill shows the military’s intention to “permanently undermine Internet freedom in the country,” said Matthew Bugher, director of the Asia program for the Article 19 group, who issued a statement condemning the plan in conjunction with the Open Net Association. and the International Commission. of lawyers.
Internet service providers and others had until Monday, February 15, to respond to the proposed law.
“It is telling that controlling cyberspace is one of the top priorities of the Myanmar military, which seized power through an illegitimate coup last week,” said Sam Zarifi, secretary general of the International Commission of Jurists.
“The military is used to having full power in Myanmar, but this time they have to face a population that has access to information and can communicate internally and externally,” he said.
The military seizure of power and the arrest of national leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy party have sparked massive peaceful protests across the country, despite efforts by the authorities to enforce order by disrupting Internet services.
That has put Internet service providers and other telecommunications companies in a bind.
Jeff Paine, managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition, a group of leading global Internet companies, including Facebook and Google, said the bill would give the military “unprecedented power to censor citizens and violate your privacy, contravening democratic norms and fundamental rights guaranteed law. ” He urged coup leaders to consider the “potentially devastating” impacts on Myanmar’s economy and population.
Norway’s Telenor, a major mobile service provider, said it faced “various dilemmas.”
“Access to telecommunications services is essential for people to exercise their basic right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to obtain information. These services are also critical in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and economic opportunities, ”the company said in a statement posted on a section of its website dedicated to the Myanmar crisis.
“When we follow the orders of the authority in these irregular times, we know that it has a negative impact on human rights in Myanmar. We are working to minimize this impact, ”he said.
The company said it was evaluating each government order according to its legality, human rights impact, necessity and transparency. He listed five active government directives since February 1 to block IP addresses and said he urged authorities to keep the Internet open.
But he also noted that he needed to consider the safety of his own employees.
A group of 158 Myanmar non-governmental organizations has also issued a statement protesting the bill.
Before the coup, the government had been working on a master plan for managing the Internet and cybersecurity.
Among other requirements, opponents of the bill said it requires prohibiting online anonymity, removing content the government deems unacceptable, and punishing violations with criminal penalties.
The law requires the removal of online comments that are considered misinformation or misinformation, that may cause “hate” or alter stability, and any comments that may violate any existing law.
Its provisions require a sentence of up to three years and / or a fine for anyone convicted of creating “disinformation” and “disinformation” with the intent to cause public panic, loss of trust or social division in cyberspace.
The law would also require Internet service providers to keep usernames, IP addresses, and other personal data for up to three years. Data must be kept in a government designated location.
Internet service providers could face maximum prison sentences of three years and a fine for failing to comply with the broad and vague provisions of the law.
“The proposal smacks of a legislative attempt to extend the powers that the military had seized in an illegal anti-democratic coup,” said Kyung Sin Park, executive director of the Open Net Association, whose founders led a successful constitutional challenge against a similar law. in South Korea in 2012.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.