Myanmar Groups Sue Telenor over Alleged Data Sharing with Junta

Myanmar civil society groups announced on Tuesday that they are filing a lawsuit against Telenor, the Norwegian telecommunications giant. The claimants allege that the company shared sensitive customer data with the ruling military junta, facilitating the tracking, imprisonment, and killing of civilians who opposed the 2021 coup.

Telenor, which is majority-owned by the Norwegian government, exited the Myanmar market in 2022 to avoid European Union sanctions. However, the plaintiffs argue that prior to its sale, the firm handed over data from millions of users to comply with military requests, effectively aiding the regime’s surveillance capabilities.

Allegations of data compromise

According to the Center for Research on Multinational Corporations, a nonprofit collaborating with the claimants, the disclosed data included call logs and location information. This data was allegedly used to identify and target the junta’s political opponents and their family members. The groups stated that a pre-action letter, the preliminary step toward litigation, has been sent to Telenor.

The plaintiffs further contend that the sale of Telenor’s Myanmar operations to a new majority owner in March 2022 effectively granted the military unrestricted access to customer records. They assert that this transition allowed the state to continue exploiting personal data for repression purposes.

Company response and legal defense

Telenor responded to the legal notice by stating that it saw no new issues raised that had not already been addressed in previous Norwegian police and court investigations. The company described its position in Myanmar as a "terrible and tragic situation" with no good options, arguing that refusing military orders would have been viewed as terrorism and endangered its employees.

The firm maintained that, like all operators in the country, it was legally required to provide traffic data to authorities. A lawyer representing the claimants countered that the decision to hand over data was approved at the highest levels of Telenor’s management, suggesting a deliberate corporate policy rather than mere local compliance.

Human rights impact in crisis

Myanmar has faced a severe humanitarian crisis since the coup, with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reporting nearly 7,000 killings and 30,000 arrests. The claimants include the wife of a hip-hop artist and lawmaker who was executed in 2022. She stated that her husband was arrested shortly after his mobile phone data was reportedly passed to the military.

Another claimant noted that many Myanmar citizens chose Telenor’s network because they trusted it as a safer option due to its international ties. They argued that corporations must respect fundamental rights and that data privacy is an inherent part of those rights. The forward question remains whether this lawsuit will result in a binding international legal precedent regarding corporate complicity in state-sponsored surveillance.