Internet & Online Safety · Myanmar
Online safety & content laws in Myanmar (2026)
Myanmar shaded by its internet & online safety status
Online safety rules in Myanmar: heavy restriction, under Cybersecurity Law (1 Jan 2025, State Administration Council); Telecommunications Law (Art. 66d); Electronic Transactions Law (amended, S.38c); administered by the military State Administration Council (SAC).
Myanmar's military junta operates one of the most repressive internet environments in the world, scoring 9/100 on Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2025 index. The SAC enacted a sweeping Cybersecurity Law on 1 January 2025 that bans unauthorized VPNs, mandates three-year user-data retention, and deploys advanced deep-packet inspection, moving the country from 'basic' to 'advanced' digital repression. Widespread localized and nationwide internet shutdowns, social-media blocks, and criminal prosecution of online speech complete a system of near-total state control of cyberspace.
Key points
Enacted 1 January 2025, the 16-chapter, 88-article Cybersecurity Law codifies VPN bans (up to 6 months imprisonment), requires platforms with 100,000+ users to retain user data and activity logs for three years and provide unrestricted regime access, and carries extraterritorial reach over Myanmar citizens abroad.
The junta imposes nationwide, regional, and periodic internet shutdowns. Advanced deep-packet inspection technology blocks most VPN and circumvention tools (69-87% anomaly rates); only Psiphon remains partially accessible in some areas.
Freedom House rated Myanmar 9/100 in its 2025 report, tied with China as the world's worst internet freedom environment, citing direct junta control over all major ISPs enabling mass censorship and surveillance.
Telecommunications Law Article 66(d) imposes criminal penalties for online defamation/insult. Electronic Transactions Law Section 38c carries up to 3 years imprisonment for spreading 'fake news or disinformation.' Between February 2022 and October 2025, at least 1,993 people were imprisoned for social media activity.
Facebook, TikTok, and other social media platforms are blocked or heavily restricted. The junta detains users for critical posts; 374 people were detained in 2024 alone for content on Facebook and TikTok. Platforms are compelled via the Cybersecurity Law to cooperate with regime data requests.
There is no independent online safety or content-moderation regulator. All digital oversight is consolidated under SAC-controlled bodies; the 2025 Cybersecurity Law further centralizes authority with no judicial oversight or transparency requirements for blocking or data-access orders.
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