iMAP Myanmar 2024 Internet Censorship Report
- Resource Type:
- Research Reports, Working Paper
Key Findings
Recently, internet censorship in Myanmar has intensified under military rule, with widespread internet shutdowns, website blockages, and severe restrictions on digital communication. The ongoing repression is leaving people in Myanmar cut off from the world and lacking in independent sources of information.
The recent study analysis on 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 identified 131 new blocked websites. In addition, 104 websites remained blocked since the 2022 and 2023 report.
Similar to the 2023 analysis, the top three website categories with the most confirmed blocked sites were Pornography, Social Networking, and Terrorism and Militants.
Among 49 ISPs or ASN, the study found 8 ISPs that block 235 websites using the most common methods of HTTPs and DNS tampering. This aligns with the findings from the studies conducted in 2022 and 2023.
Certain communication platforms, including Facebook Messenger, Signal, and WhatsApp, have faced potential disruptions through some ISPs. These platforms have been banned from February 2021.
The military junta has attempted to implement a unique "whitelist" strategy, blocking almost all websites, communication platforms, and circumvention tools except those it approves, which limits access to information and communication for the general population. After three years of Tamadaw or military (SAC) ruling, Freedom on the Net reported that “Myanmar had been described as the second worst country for Internet Freedom.”