Internet in Myanmar

The Internet in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has been available since 2000 when the first Internet connections were established. Beginning in September 2011, the historically pervasive levels of Internet censorship in Burma were significantly reduced. Prior to September 2011 the military government worked aggressively to limit and control Internet access through software-based censorship, infrastructure and technical constraints, and laws and regulations with large fines and lengthy prison sentences for violators.[1][2][3] In 2015, the internet users significantly increased to 12.6% with the introduction of faster mobile 3G internet by transnational telecommunication companies, Telenor Myanmar and Ooredoo Myanmar, and later joined by national Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT).[4][5]

Myanmar's top-level domain is '.mm'.[6]

Access and usage

Service providers, Internet cafés

Myanmar Teleport (formerly Bagan Cybertech),[7] Yatanarpon Teleport,[8] Information Technology Central Services (ITCS),[9] Red Link Communications, satellite internet provider Skynet,[10] Frontiir, the state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT) and Kinetic Myanmar Technology [2] are the Internet service providers in Myanmar.[11][12] Before the democratization in 2011, Internet cafés were common access center for internet users in the country and most use different pieces of software to bypass the government's proxy servers.[3][13][14] The popularity of Internet cafés declined with the emergence of cheap mobile internet with the improvement in telecommunication infrastructure following the liberalization. However, they are still widely present, especially in Yangon and Mandalay and are used extensively for blogging and other activities that are difficult or impossible to conduct over mobile devices.

Internet penetration

Myanmar has a very low Internet penetration rate due to government restrictions on pricing and deliberate lack of facilities and infrastructure.[15] According to World Internet Stats statistics as of June 2012, the country had over 534,930 Internet users (1.0% of the population) with the vast majority of the users hailing from the two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay.[16] Although 42 cities across the country have access to the Internet, the number of users outside Yangon and Mandalay is just over 10,000. In 2012, most of the country's 40,000 Internet connections were ADSL circuits, followed by dial-up, satellite terminal, and WiMax. MPT is also undertaking a trial of fibre-to-the-home in Mandalay, and plans to roll out a similar trial in Yangon.[17] On 22 July 2015 the CEO of Telenor Myanmar announced that 55% of Telenor's 10 million mobile subscribers were data users,[18] increasing the low estimate of internet users in Myanmar to at least 5.5 million. Internet World Statistics reported in Nov 2015 that penetration was 12.6% [19]

Blogging

An October 2010 survey found that blogging is the fastest growing type of Internet use in Myanmar, with a 25 percent increase from 2009.[20] A non-scientific survey taken in 2009 found that:[21]

Censorship

Recent reforms

Following decades of military rule, Burma has undergone a series of significant political and economic reforms since elections in November 2010. March 2011 saw the end of formal military rule in the country, with reformist Thein Sein becoming the country’s first civilian president in half a century. While by-elections held in April 2012 included numerous reports of fraud, the opposition National League for Democracy, including leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won seats after contesting their first elections since 1991. In 2011-2012 hundreds of political prisoners were released and legislative changes re-establishing labour rights in the country.[25]

Reforms have also extended to the country’s strict information control regime. Beginning in September 2011, the historically pervasive levels of Internet censorship were significantly reduced. International news sites, including Voice of America, BBC, and Radio Free Asia, long blocked by Burmese censors, had become accessible overnight. A number of previously censored independent Burma-focused news sites which had been highly critical of Burma’s ruling regime, such as the Democratic Voice of Burma and Irrawaddy, were suddenly accessible. Following the reduction in online censorship, the head of Burma’s press censorship department described such censorship as “not in harmony with democratic practices” and a practice that “should be abolished in the near future.”[25]

In August 2012, the Burmese Press Scrutiny and Registration Department announced that all pre-publication censorship of the press was to be discontinued, such that articles dealing with religion and politics would no longer require review by the government before publication. Restrictions on content deemed harmful to state security, however, remained in place. Pornography was still widely blocked, as were content relatings to alcohol and drugs, gambling websites, online dating sites, sex education, gay and lesbian content, and web censorship circumvention tools. In 2012 almost all of the previously blocked websites of opposition political parties, critical political content, and independent news sites were accessible, with only 5 of 541 tested URLs categorised as political content blocked.[25]

In a September 2012 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Burmese President Thein Sein described the country as having taken “irreversible steps” towards democracy, a speech broadcast on state television for the first time.[25]

As significant as they are, the impact of these reforms may be less might be expected because only 0.3 percent of Burma's population has Web access, outside of Burma's largest city, Yangon, and few can read English.[26]

Laws

Laws regulating the Internet include the Computer Science Development Law (1996), the Wide Area Network Order (2002), and the Electronic Transactions Law (2004), while the Printers and Publishers Registration Act (1962) regulates the media.[27] These laws and associated regulations are broadly worded and open to arbitrary or selective interpretation and enforcement. The Electronic Transactions Law covers “any act detrimental to”—and specifically “receiving or sending and distributing any information relating to”—state security, law and order, community peace and tranquility, national solidarity, the national economy, or national culture. Violators face fines and prison terms of 7 to 15 years.[28] The importing and use of a modem without official permission is banned, with penalties for violations of up to 15 years in prison.[29] Harsh prison terms and selective enforcement encourages self-censorship. However, expression in online environments such as comment features where posters can remain anonymous remains relatively free.

While these laws are still in place, authorities have promised to adopt a media law that will put an end to censorship in 2012 and they then expect to revise or repeal the Electronic Act and emergency rule.[24] As of January 2013 the new media law was not in place and there is some concern that the country could backslide and return to the repressive tendencies of the past.[30]

Censorship circumvention

The use of Internet censorship circumvention methods was officially banned by the military government; the Myanmar ISPs blocked many bypass and proxy websites, but were unable to block all circumvention methods. With the removal of blocking of web sites after 2012, the need for proxies was reduced and therefore the need to block them was also removed. Cybercafes were required by law to keep records on their customers’ activities and provide police access to the records upon request. However, many cafes do not systematically enforce such monitoring, often assisting their users in circumventing censorship instead. In response the government increased surprise inspections of cybercafes, cafes posted signs warning users not to visit certain websites. Licensing law instructed cybercafes to install CCTV cameras and assign at least four security staff to monitor users.[31]

History

Prior to September 2011 the government used a wide range of methods to restrict Internet freedom, including legal and regulatory barriers, infrastructural and technical constraints, and coercive measures such as intimidation and lengthy prison sentences. Although the authorities lacked the capacity to pervasively enforce all restrictions, the impact of sporadic implementation and the ensuing chilling effect was profound.[31] While information circulating on the Internet is still closely monitored, reforms by the Burmese regime that began in 2011 resulted in information being more freely circulated.[24]

Internet censorship in Myanmar was classified as pervasive in the political area and as substantial in social, conflict/security, and Internet tools areas by the OpenNet Initiative in December 2010.[32] Myanmar is listed as an Internet enemy by Reporters Without Borders in 2012.[24] Myanmar's status is "Not Free" in Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2011 report.[31] By 2014, the status had been revised to "Partly Free".[33]

Myanmar utilised a network specifically for domestic use that is separate from the rest of the Internet to limit the flow of unwanted information into and out of the country.[31]

The Internet infrastructure was also controlled through total shutdowns and temporary reductions in bandwidth.[31] During the 2007 street protests, the junta completely shut down internet connectivity from 29 September to 4 October.[34][35] And state-controlled ISPs occasionally applied bandwidth caps to prevent the sharing of video and image files, particularly during politically sensitive events, such as the November 2010 elections.[31][36]

Prior to September 2011 Myanmar banned the websites and blogs of political opposition groups, sites relating to human rights, and organisations promoting democracy.[32] The term "Myanmar Wide Web (MWW)" is a pejorative name for the portion of the World Wide Web that is accessible from Myanmar.[37] Many sites containing keywords or phrases that were considered suspicious, such as “Burma”, “drugs”, “military government”, “democracy”, “student movement”, “8888” (a reference to the protest movement that began on 8 August 1988), and “human rights” were blocked and a few still are.[25][31] Access to Yahoo! Mail, MSN Mail, Gmail, the video-sharing site YouTube, the messaging feature of the social-networking site Facebook, Google’s Blogspot, and the microblogging service Twitter were sporadically blocked.[31] However, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems including Skype were and are available. Fortinet, a California-based company, provides the government with software that limits the material citizens can access on-line, especially e-mail service providers and pornographic websites.[38][39]

Many political prisoners in Myanmar were charged under the laws mentioned above.[31] However, in the second half of 2011 as part of a larger series of amnesties the military regime released a number of journalists and bloggers.[24] For example:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Steven; et al. (2002). Myanmar (Burma), 8th Ed. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 1-74059-190-9.
  2. 1 2 "Internet Services Tariff", Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications, Information Technology department, Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs, accessed 10 June 2011 Archived 20 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. 1 2 "Internet Cafe in Myanmar", Today in Myanmar, 13 February 2009
  4. ↑ "Two Telecoms Race To Wire Myanmar". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  5. ↑ "Myanmar Internet Usage and Telecommunications Reports". www.internetworldstats.com. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  6. ↑ "Country Code List: ISO 3166-1993 (E)". American National Standards Institute, Inc. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
  7. ↑ "The Internet in Burma (1998-2009) ", Mizzima News
  8. ↑ "Company at a glance", Yatanarpon Teleport Co., Ltd.
  9. ↑ "New consortium to shake up IT sector", Ye Kaung Myint Maung, Myanmar Times, vol.19, no.370 (11–17 June 2007)
  10. ↑ http://www.skynetmps.com.mm/en/productservice.aspx?tab=3
  11. ↑ "Myanmar Internet Provider", Guide for Myanmar 2007
  12. ↑ "Internet service hampered as Myanmar Teleport server breaks down", Mizzima News Agency, 10 February 2009
  13. ↑ "No More Proxies: Myanmar Teleport", Saw Yan Naing, The Irrawaddy Publishing Group, 29 May 2008
  14. ↑ "Bypassing Internet Censorship in Burma / Myanmar", VPNHero.com, 16 March 2011
  15. ↑ "Google Public Data: Burma Internet penetration". Google.com. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Asia", Internet World Stats, 23 September 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  17. ↑ Wai-Yan Phyo Oo and Saw Pyayzon (30 July 2010). "State of Internet Usage in Myanmar". Bi-Weekly Eleven (in Burmese). Yangon. 3 (18): 1–2.
  18. ↑ http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/technology/15630-competition-watch-out-says-telenor-myanmar-ceo-as-subs-over-10-million.html
  19. ↑ http://www.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm#mm, Internet World Stats, 15th November 2015.
  20. ↑ "Blogging Increases 25% Within A Year” (Blog Yay Thar Hmu Ta Nhit Ah Twin 25 Yar Khaing Hnoan Toe Lar), Myanmar Internet Journal, 17 December 2010
  21. ↑ “Myanmar Blogger Survey 2009”, Nyi Lynn Seck, Myanmar Blogger Society, Rangoon, slides, 2 February 2010
  22. ↑ OpenNet Initiative "Summarized global Internet filtering data spreadsheet", 29 October 2012 and "Country Profiles", the OpenNet Initiative is a collaborative partnership of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto; the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University; and the SecDev Group, Ottawa
  23. ↑ "ONI Country Profile: Burma", OpenNet Initiative, 6 August 2012
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 Internet Enemies, Reporters Without Borders (Paris), 12 March 2012
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 "Update on information controls in Burma", Irene Poetranto, OpenNet Initiative, 23 October 2012
  26. ↑ "YouTube, BBC ban lifted in Burma", Patrick Winn, The Rice Bowl, the GlobalPost's reported blog on Asia, 16 September 2011
  27. ↑ “Myanmar Law (1988–2004)”, Burma Lawyers’ Council
  28. ↑ "The Electronic Transactions Law (The State Peace and Development Council Law No. 5/2004)", Myanmar Law (2004), Burma Lawyers' Council, 30 April 2004
  29. ↑ Internet Enemies: Burma, Reporters Without Borders, Paris, 12 March 2009
  30. ↑ "Call for ‘Concrete’ Media Reforms", Radio Free Asia, 16 January 2013
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Burma Country Report", Freedom on the Net 2011, Freedom House, 18 April 2011
  32. 1 2 "ONI Country Profile: Burma", OpenNet Initiative, 22 December 2010
  33. ↑ "Freedom on the net 2014" (PDF).
  34. ↑ "Myanmar's main Internet link not working: official", Asia Pacific Nets, channelnewsasia.com, 28 September 2007
  35. ↑ Burma "Junta tightens media screw", Michael Dobie, BBC News, 28 September 2007
  36. ↑ "Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma", Stephanie Wang and Shishir Nagaraja, OpenNet Initiative, 22 October 2007
  37. ↑ Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering, Ronald Deibert (ed), MIT Press, 2008, p.340, ISBN 9780262042451
  38. ↑ "Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study". Open Net Initiative.
  39. ↑ "Burma bans Google and g-mail". Burma Net News. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2006.
  40. ↑ "Press Freedom Barometer 2011: Burma", Reporters Without Borders
  41. ↑ "Burma blogger jailed for 20 years", BBC News, 11 November 2008
  42. ↑ Saw Yan Naing (11 November 2008). "40 Burmese Dissidents Given Prison Terms of up to 65 Years". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  43. ↑ Jonathan Head (11 November 2008). "Harsh sentences for Burma rebels". BBC News. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  44. ↑ "High-profile dissidents freed in Burma amnesty". BBC News. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  45. ↑ "Appeal case for DVB reporter Hla Hla Win", Myint Maung, Mizzima News, 24 March 2010
  46. ↑ "Freedom on the Net 2012 - Burma", Freedom House, 25 September 2012
  47. ↑ "Another blogger arrested for posts about Saffron Revolution", International Freedom of Expression Exchange, 18 November 2009
  48. ↑ "Two Receive Death Sentence for Information Leak", Irrawaddy Publishing Group, 7 January 2010
  49. ↑ "Political Prisoner Profile: Win Naing Kyaw", Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), accessed 2 February 2013
  50. ↑ "Political Prisoners List", Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), 8 January 2013
  51. ↑ "Another Video Reporter Gets Long Jail Sentence", Reporters Without Borders, news release, 29 January 2010
  52. ↑ “Court Extends Prison Sentence of NLD Liberated Area Member”, Myint Maung, Mizzima News, 16 July 2010
  53. ↑ "BURMA: Prisoners released and others still detained", Asian Human Rights Commission, 3 February 2012
  54. ↑ "Photographer Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison", Reporters Without Borders, news release, 28 December 2010
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