On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, Wai Phyo Myint, our Asia Pacific Policy Analyst, addressed the United Nations (U.N.) Human Rights Council regarding the escalating digital threats faced by the people in Myanmar during the Interactive Dialogue with the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Myanmar
Myint highlighted how targeted communications blackouts are being used by the military junta in regions where people’s resistance has been most intense. She illustrated why losing connectivity in Myanmar is life-threatening – because people cannot get critical information for their safety, contact their families, or expose serious human rights violations.
In her oral statement, Wai Phyo Myint also raised the alarm that the military could be requiring the (International Mobile Equipment Identify) IMEI number of phones to be registered. Linking data from IMEI number and SIM card registration will potentially give the military the power to collect data needed to track and locate people anytime they want.
Our statement underscores the need for the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and prioritize the situation there as a matter of policy, and carry out concrete measures to hold military leaders to account for the crimes they commit. Access Now also urged private companies to comply with their human rights obligations to take speedy, targeted and efficient steps to protect the people of Myanmar.