Myanmar activists to sue Norway’s Telenor for handing data to military

A group of civil society organisations in Myanmar plans to take legal action against Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor, accusing it of passing customer data to the country’s military government for use in repression.

The activists sent Telenor a notice of intent to sue on Monday, according to a statement from the Netherlands-based nonprofit Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), which is backing the case. The case states that the data shared by the telecoms giant was used by the military following its 2021 coup to trace and target civilians.

The claimants allege that Telenor, majority-owned by the Norwegian government, disclosed data from millions of customers to the military authorities, which, after toppling the country’s elected government, embarked on a campaign of violence and repression.

They say the information helped the military target anti-coup activists, several of whom were tortured in detention and one of whom was executed.

Telenor, which has previously faced investigations over its actions from Norwegian authorities, asserts it was trapped by the situation in Myanmar with “no good options”.

One claimant, Thazin Nyunt Aung, said she is “terribly disturbed and shocked” by the data disclosures, which occurred weeks before her husband, lawmaker Phoe Zeya Thaw, was arrested and executed.

Ko Ye, another claimant, said she feels “betrayed” by a company that had a reputation for integrity.

“We were in danger, in struggle, in a very difficult position. But Telenor did not protect us. On the contrary. Our data was used as a weapon against us”, said Ye.

Jan Magne Langseth, a lawyer with Norwegian firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig representing the clients, said Telenor “should never have handed over this information” and “must be held accountable for its failures”.

‘ No good options ‘

Facing pressure from Myanmar’s government to implement surveillance technology that could have provoked European Union sanctions, Telenor ultimately sold its business in Myanmar in 2021 to Lebanese investment firm M1 Group and majority-owner Shwe Byain Phyu, a local conglomerate whose chairman has a history of military ties. The claimants say the sale gave the military “unfettered access” to customer data.

Langseth said Telenor “should have deleted all sensitive data before selling its operations and exiting Myanmar”.

Telenor said in a statement to the Reuters news agency that the legal notice raises issues that have already been addressed, including those that have been the subject of previous Norwegian police and court investigations.

Following the coup, the business said it had “no good options” for dealing with “the situation” in Myanmar because obeying military orders would have “been perceived as terrorism and sabotage, and would have put employees in immediate danger.

Telenor Myanmar was legally required to provide traffic data to the authorities, according to the business.

Since the coup and subsequent military crackdown, which led to a nationwide armed uprising, Myanmar has experienced crisis.