Myanmar presses operators to expand website blocks - Mobile World Live

Myanmar presses operators to expand website blocks

13 JUL 2020

Telenor Myanmar revealed the government added more websites to a list it requires mobile operators in the country to block, expanding a clampdown commenced in March.

The operator stated the government ordered a block on two websites accused of promoting false news regarding Covid-19 (coronavirus), storms and politics. Telenor explained state-owned MPT, Ooredoo Myanmar and military-run Mytel are also legally obliged to comply with the directive from the Posts and Telecommunications Department: the other operators have not issued statements.

Telenor said it “believes in open communication” and continues dialogue with authorities on the blocks, noting the “current practice appears to be incompatible with international human rights law”.

Customers attempting to access the affected websites are directed to a landing page stating they cannot be reached as authorities ordered them to be blocked.

In March, operators complied with a directive to block access to more than 200 websites deemed to contain explicit content or misinformation. Telenor initially resisted the order, claiming it did not have a strong enough legal footing to do so, but later pressed ahead due to concerns over the impact to its broader mobile services.

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Joseph Waring

Joseph Waring joins Mobile World Live as the Asia editor for its new Asia channel. Before joining the GSMA, Joseph was group editor for Telecom Asia for more than ten years. In addition to writing features, news and blogs, he...

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