Military junta steps up social media surveillance and arrests with new cyber laws

Photo – The military junta has increased its surveillance of social media in recent months, and those who post content it dislikes are being pursued and arrested within days, according to reports from junta-controlled media and independent monitoring groups. (AFP) MizzimaEAE The military junta has increased its surveillance of social media in recent months, and those who post content it dislikes are being pursued and arrested within days, according to reports from junta-controlled media and independent monitoring groups. Two incidents were detailed in junta newspapers published today (July 2). In one incident, it claimed to have uncovered an extortion scheme using Facebook. In this case, Min Aung Hlaing and his girlfriend, Khine Su Yee, were accused of posing as doctors and extorting money from people by threatening them with military conscription. These arrests come amid rising fears of forced conscription by the military junta, with local authorities often threatening young people with military service to extort money from their families. In the second incident, police arrested the owner of a TikTok account named “CHEERY NAING” in Bago city. The individual is accused of spreading content supporting the National Unity Government (NUG) and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH). There have been numerous similar incidents this year. On June 25, U Kyi, a 54-year-old food seller from Yangon, was given a total prison sentence of 13 years due to a Facebook post, according to the Political Prisoners Justice Network. The monitoring group stated that U Kyi had been released from Insein Prison on March 4 under a junta amnesty but was rearrested at a police station while signing his release papers. His post suggested that Myanmar's military leader should face similar action as the Venezuelan president, who was arrested by the United States. According to records from the “Athan” (Voice) monitoring group for freedom of expression, in October 2025 alone, 15 people were arrested for their online speech, and one man was arrested simply for “liking” a Facebook post. These arrests come after the military junta admitted to monitoring the internet 24 hours a day. On June 30, the junta confirmed the formation of a new committee to monitor online activities around the clock. The committee is chaired by former military intelligence security officer and current Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Lieutenant General Zaw Min Tun, who previously handled the interrogation mechanism. Twelve days prior, Lieutenant General Zaw Min Tun stated that between 2024 and May 2026, 21,369 online users had been penalized for “political attacks, inappropriate content, and the dissemination of fake and false news.” Nearly 20,000 of these cases were prosecuted under the Counter-Terrorism Law. In addition to the junta's statements, the scale of the crackdown has been documented by other sources. According to records from the independent monitoring group Data for Myanmar, at least 1,993 people have been arrested since the February 2021 coup for criticizing the military junta on Facebook. The group compiles its list by monitoring pro-junta newspapers rather than court records, suggesting the actual number of arrests could be higher. The Cybersecurity Law, enacted in January 2025, requires platforms with over 100,000 users to retain user data for three years and criminalizes the use of VPNs without permission. Furthermore, under the Election Protection Law, over 300 people have been prosecuted since July 2025 for online activities related to the junta's December-January elections. Human rights group ALTSEAN-Burma reports that cases include individuals being prosecuted as criminals even for simply “liking” a critical Facebook post. Editor: Naung Naung