Telenor Faces Lawsuit Over Data Sharing with Myanmar Junta

A Swedish non-profit organization has initiated a class action lawsuit against Norway’s Telenor, claiming the company jeopardized customers in Myanmar by transferring their personal data to the military junta. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Telenor Myanmar provided information on over 1,200 individuals to the authoritarian regime following the 2021 coup. The company, which is 54% state-owned, has since withdrawn from Myanmar as tensions escalated after the overthrow of the civilian-led government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The legal action, led by the Justice and Accountability Initiative, argues that Telenor failed to adequately safeguard user data from access by the military government. Among the targeted victims, the case claims the data contributed to the 2022 execution of government critic Phyo Zeya Thaw and the detention of activist Aung Thu. The plaintiffs are seeking €9,000 per affected customer, emphasizing the broader implications for democratic rights.

“If successful, this case would be the first ever to hold a telecoms company to account for not sufficiently protecting user data from access by an authoritarian regime,” said Beini Ye, legal counsel at the Open Society Justice Initiative.

Telenor defended its actions, stating it had no choice but to comply with legal demands. The company informed news agencies Reuters and AFP that it was “legally required to provide traffic data to the authorities” during the 2021 crisis. Non-compliance, it argued, could have resulted in “imprisonment, torture or the death penalty” for its local employees. “Telenor Myanmar was operating in a war zone,” the statement added. “We could not play Russian roulette with the lives of our staff.”

Telenor’s exit from Myanmar was announced in June 2021, following the junta’s reassertion of control. The company completed its withdrawal by March 2022. The lawsuit contends that data released while Telenor was still active enabled abuses before and after its departure. Aung Thu, arrested in September 2021, confirmed his information was shared with the authorities. “I am hoping for justice, not just for myself, but for all the people of Myanmar,” he stated.

Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker and hip hop artist, was executed in 2022 alongside three other activists accused of supporting terrorism. His wife, Tha Zin, expressed the emotional toll of the event. “It is not just a wife losing her husband,” she said. “It is also a loss to democracy.”

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