Online safety & content laws in Myanmar (2026)

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.