A class-action lawsuit filed in Norway alleges that Telenor, a telecoms company majority-owned by the Norwegian government, provided data on more than 1,200 customers to Myanmar’s military junta, enabling the arrest of dissidents. The lawsuit claims that the data, which included addresses and last-known locations, was passed on despite internal assessments that the orders would likely lead to arrests.
Among those affected is Aung Thu, an anti-coup activist who was arrested in September 2021 and charged with incitement. He was released in a prisoner amnesty only to be re-arrested at the prison gates under counter-terrorism laws. He believes his data was shared by Telenor in late September 2021, despite already being in custody. Another complainant, Tha Zin, says her husband, former MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, was arrested in a safehouse weeks after his data was requested from Telenor. Phyo Zeya Thaw was later executed by the military. The data request also included deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Telenor’s transparency reports show it complied with 96% of 153 data requests from the junta. The company also followed orders to block social media platforms and websites, and to shut down networks entirely. Digital rights activists have accused Myanmar of imposing a digital “iron curtain” through these measures.
The lawsuit, filed by the Justice and Accountability Initiative (JAI) with support from Somo and the Open Society Justice Initiative, seeks a minimum of €11 million (£9.6 million) in compensation. It represents all affected customers unless they opt out. Telenor, which had 18 million customers in Myanmar, exited the country in 2022.
Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, advocacy director at Somo, said: “Telenor went into the country saying you should trust us – they did that and that trust was breached and they’ve faced severe consequences.” A parliamentary inquiry in Norway is expected later this year into the role of the Norwegian government.
