One of the world's biggest telecommunications companies is being sued in Norway, accused of handing over private information to Myanmar's military. Telenor is alleged to have given the junta the personal data of thousands of users, which was then used to hunt down pro-democracy activists.

Fornebu

Telenor, a major Norwegian telecommunications company, has been accused of supplying user data to Myanmar's military following the 2021 coup, which reportedly led to the arrest, detention, and in some cases, torture or execution of political dissidents. According to a former Telenor employee and the group behind a related lawsuit, there is a strong correlation between the military's data requests and subsequent crackdowns on opposition figures, including the execution of ex-rapper and politician Zeya Tor.

Telenor has acknowledged providing information to the military, stating it was compelled to do so by law and that refusal could have endangered its staff. The company ultimately sold its Myanmar operations in 2022, citing the ethical dilemma. However, similar legal obligations exist in other countries where Telenor operates, raising ongoing concerns about user privacy and safety.

Norway’s Telenor accused of aiding Myanmar military crackdown

March 2021. Soldiers in Myanmar conduct night-time raids. They're looking for political dissidents, opposition MPs, anyone who opposes the military coup. But these searches aren't random. They know where to look. The soldiers used information provided by telecoms giant Telenor. Hundreds of requests for user data submitted by Myanmar's military, as this former Telenor employee told me. Information like phone number, address, and also call log for those persons. What about geolocation? Could they be located? Yeah, they can locate very closely. After they got the information, then those persons have been arrested or their house has been raided. So for sure those persons cannot be safe. Hundreds were detained, arrested, and in some cases tortured. In the case of ex-rapper and politician Zeya Tor, execution. That, say the group behind this lawsuit, was a direct result of the information handed over by Telenor. There is a very strong correlation between the time in which the military requested the information from Telenor and then the subsequent arrest and execution of individuals. The Norwegian telecoms company has never denied it handed over information to Myanmar's military. It says it was obliged to do so by the law and to refuse would have endangered its employees. And that this ethical dilemma ultimately caused it to sell its operations in Myanmar in 2022. But similar legal requirements remain in place in Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Markets where Telenor still has over a hundred million users. Zeya Tor's widow remembers that she thought they would be safer with a Norwegian service provider. Telenor has caused deep trauma among the people of Myanmar. They betrayed public trust by handing over users' personal data to the military upon request. This company betrayed its users. Today many of the memories she has of her husband are stored on her mobile phone. But now she's using a different service provider. Tony Cheng, Al Jazeera.

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