Norwegian Telecom Giant Accused of Enabling Myanmar Military Crackdown
A major class-action lawsuit filed in Norway alleges that Telenor, the Norwegian state-owned telecommunications company, provided customer data to Myanmar's military regime that led to the arrest of over 1,200 activists. The legal action represents what could become a landmark case in corporate accountability and digital rights.
From Democratic Promise to Alleged Complicity
Telenor first entered Myanmar in 2013 during the country's democratic transition, promising to connect isolated citizens to the world. Burmese customers waited in long lines outside showrooms in 2014 to purchase SIM cards from the newly arrived telecom provider. The company quickly became the largest operator in the country, amassing 18 million customers before its eventual withdrawal in 2022.
Now, activists claim Telenor betrayed the very trust it worked to establish. The lawsuit alleges the company passed detailed customer information including addresses and last-known locations to Myanmar's military junta following the February 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Human Cost of Data Compliance
Aung Thu, an anti-coup activist, represents one of the most compelling cases in the lawsuit. After enduring two weeks of torture that failed to make him betray fellow activists, his military interrogators turned to Telenor for data. Documents obtained by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK and shared with the Guardian show Aung Thu's number appeared in a September 2021 data request from the military, despite him already being imprisoned at the time.
"Some of the people I worked with have disappeared; I can't find any trace of them," Aung Thu told the Guardian. "Some are untraceable; some were among those arrested – people who were in contact with me."
After initially being jailed in September 2021 for incitement related to his role in the "spring revolution" resistance movement, Aung Thu was released in an October prisoner amnesty only to be immediately re-arrested at the prison gates and charged under counter-terrorism laws. He believes this followed Telenor's release of his data in late September.
Legal Action and Compensation Demands
The Justice and Accountability Initiative, a Swedish rights organization, launched the class-action case against Telenor on April 8 with support from the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations and the Open Society Justice Initiative. The lawsuit represents all 1,253 customers whose data was allegedly passed to the regime, demanding minimum compensation of €11 million (£9.6 million).
Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, advocacy director at Somo, stated: "Telenor went into the country saying you should trust us – they did that and that trust was breached and they've faced severe consequences. Even those not physically harmed have had to go underground, they've had to run."
High-Profile Victims and Systematic Compliance
Among the customers whose information was allegedly passed to authorities were Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's deposed leader, and Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former MP of her party who was executed by the military. Phyo Zeya Thaw's wife, Tha Zin, is a complainant in the case, stating her husband was arrested in a safehouse they had been hiding in just three weeks after his data was requested from Telenor.
Telenor's own transparency reports reveal the company complied with 96% of the 153 data requests it received from Myanmar authorities. The company's website lists orders it complied with, including blocking social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, blocking websites, and shutting down networks entirely.
Digital Iron Curtain and Broken Trust
Digital rights activists have accused Myanmar of imposing a digital "iron curtain" through these orders, targeting dissidents, opposition politicians, and blocking information flow around conflict zones. Nini Sandborg, a human rights lawyer who worked for the UN in Myanmar, says Telenor breached the trust it built with customers.
"[Instead] they sent every second, every little detail of every telecom data they had on the users," Sandborg explained. "To the point that it was days and hours from the details that the junta received to them coming to actual houses, picking up young politicians, and detaining them."
Telenor's Defense and Government Involvement
A Telenor spokesperson stated the company complied with orders to share historical metadata but not call or message content, which they claimed was legally obligatory. "Our employees were working under extremely difficult and uncertain conditions, with direct pressure from the authorities and a highly volatile security situation. We could not take risks with our employees' safety – their lives were at stake," the spokesperson said.
The company maintains there is no established direct link between how it handled military requests and human rights violations. Meanwhile, Norway's government acknowledges having 27 meetings with Telenor officials from the time of the coup until the company's withdrawal from Myanmar, while stating operational decisions were made by the board.
Broader Implications for Norway's International Image
Per Willy Amundsen, a Progress party politician and former justice minister, expressed concern about how Telenor's actions and potential government complicity affect Norway's international reputation. "A lot of people see that this does not fit the image that we have of ourselves and, at least used to have, abroad, as a defender of peace and human rights. It's really important that this cannot happen again," Amundsen stated.
The lawsuit comes as a parliamentary inquiry into the Norwegian government's role is expected later this year, highlighting growing scrutiny of how Western companies operate in authoritarian contexts and the ethical responsibilities of telecommunications providers in conflict zones.
