• Burmese
Thursday, July 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Revealed: Domestic Surveillance Company in talks with Burma Govt

Hanna Hindstrom by Hanna Hindstrom
July 24, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Revealed: Domestic Surveillance Company in talks with Burma Govt

Student leader Phyoe Phyoe Aung speaks on her phone

5.8k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — An Italian spyware company at the centre of a global hacking scandal has been in discussions with the Burmese government about helping them establish domestic surveillance mechanisms since 2012, a trove of emails released by WikiLeaks has shown.

Communications reviewed by The Irrawaddy show that The Hacking Team offered “lawful interception” and “active IT intrusion” services to Burma’s military intelligence agency as recently as the end of last year.

“The offers were submitted to a Myanmar company which is a preferred supplier of security solutions to Myanmar Military Intelligence,” notes an email dated Nov. 3 last year.

RelatedPosts

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

June 11, 2025
1.5k
US Spy Memoir Perpetuates Myths About Myanmar Military’s ‘Anti-Drug’ Efforts

US Spy Memoir Perpetuates Myths About Myanmar Military’s ‘Anti-Drug’ Efforts

September 15, 2023
3k
NUG Issues Appeal for More Myanmar Junta Informants

NUG Issues Appeal for More Myanmar Junta Informants

December 21, 2022
4.6k

Although the bid appears to have been unsuccessful, it raises questions about the role of international firms in facilitating human rights violations in Burma, a former military dictatorship known for monitoring journalists and activists.

Last October, a spokesperson for a Burmese company claiming to represent the Ministry of Defence contacted The Hacking Team asking them to help set up “offensive” solutions for mobile devices.

“We got your contact from ISS World Training [an international conference on electronic surveillance] in Czech where we visited with two colonels from Ministry of Defence, Myanmar,” writes Aung Lynn Thway, from Naung Yoe Technologies, a Naypyidaw-based technology firm, listing the President’s Office and the Burmese Parliament among its clients.

“MoD is interested in you offensive solution on mobile devices and request us to contact HT on behalf of them.” [sic]

When contacted by The Irrawaddy, Aung Lynn Thway denied being interested in intrusive technology, adding that no deal was ultimately reached.

However, his leaked email notes that “a few suppliers” have approached the Ministry of Defence, suggesting that other companies may already be offering similar services to the Burmese authorities.

“There has been reporting for many years that Singapore-based companies were assisting the Burmese security forces on surveillance,” said David Mathieson, Senior Burma Researcher at Human Rights Watch. “And in light of the massive surge in mobile services in Burma and internet use in just the past couple of years, the Office of Military Affairs Security must be trying to keep pace with these technologies and monitor the opposition.”

The earliest email communications date back to November 2012—mere months after European Union sanctions were suspended—when the Hacking Team spoke of “potential deals with customers from Qatar, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and many other countries.” According to its website, The Hacking Team only works with governments and government agencies but will not strike deals if there are “credible concerns” that its technology could be used to abuse human rights. They did not respond to a request for comment on their dealings in Burma.

The firm has been the subject of controversy since the transparency website WikiLeaks published thousands of hacked emails on July 8 exposing its financial ties to several authoritarian regimes including Egypt, Russia and Saudi Arabia. It specialises in a Remote Control System (RCS), a type of malware that enables governments and law enforcement agencies to bypass encryption technology to monitor all devices, including mobile phones and computers.

The revelations will likely fuel concerns about ongoing surveillance and privacy breaches in Burma, which began a slow process of democratic reform in 2011. The military continues to wield significant influence and remains largely free from public oversight. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, over 600 people are either in prison or currently on trial for their political activities.

Human rights activists and journalists report regular monitoring by the government, despite a widening space for free speech since President Thein Sein took office. Earlier this year, student activists who staged peaceful protests claim to have had their phones tapped and Facebook pages hacked by the police. In 2013, US tech giant Google warned several Burmese journalists that they had been the targets of “state-sponsored attacks” on their Gmail accounts—a charge the government has denied.

“It is deeply worrying that Western tech companies are offering spyware to the Burmese military, in an election year where the authorities continue to arrest, monitor and harass democracy activists,” added Mathieson, describing the Hacking Team revelations as a “disturbing example” of international companies prioritizing profits over rights.

“It demonstrates starkly that international sanctions were there for a sound reason, and that was to limit the Burmese security service’s access to technology that could further stifle peaceful political activities.”

In a March submission to the UN, the NGO Privacy International warned that Burma lacks basic data protection and privacy mechanisms, leaving residents increasingly vulnerable to government surveillance and control as the ICT industry develops. There are no laws governing state interception of personal information, although the government has reportedly requested help from the EU to draft such legislation.

“As the ICT industry opens up, the legal framework governing the use of surveillance technology is still in its infancy,” said Edin Omanovic, Research Officer at the London-based Privacy International. “The fact that the authorities are looking for some of the most advanced surveillance capabilities on the market should therefore be of concern to everyone. Without adequate legal safeguards and oversight in place, this technology can be used to target anyone.”

Burma’s Ministry of Information could not be reached for comment on the revelations, despite repeated attempts on Thursday.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaIntelligenceMore
Hanna Hindstrom

Hanna Hindstrom

Similar Picks:

US Spy Memoir Perpetuates Myths About Myanmar Military’s ‘Anti-Drug’ Efforts
Books

US Spy Memoir Perpetuates Myths About Myanmar Military’s ‘Anti-Drug’ Efforts

by Bertil Lintner
September 15, 2023
3k

In his new book, former Yangon CIA station chief Barry Broman is either ignorant of, or covering up, the Myanmar...

Read moreDetails
Inspiring Women of Burma  
Burma

Inspiring Women of Burma  

by The Irrawaddy
March 18, 2016
33.6k

The contributions of some of Burma’s leading female figures are highlighted in the final part of a series that ran...

Read moreDetails
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades
Analysis

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

by San Yeik Nyein
June 11, 2025
1.5k

Former intelligence officers, generals and ex-officials continue to publish propaganda books aimed at promoting military rule and rewriting history.

Read moreDetails
Australian-Karen Actress: ‘I Hope Karen People Will Have the Right to Self-Determination’
Asia

Australian-Karen Actress: ‘I Hope Karen People Will Have the Right to Self-Determination’

by Saw Yan Naing
January 18, 2016
13.7k

Tasneem Roc, an Australian actress who also has ethnic Karen roots, speaks with The Irrawaddy about her career and her...

Read moreDetails
Burma’s Media Landscape Through the Years
Burma

Burma’s Media Landscape Through the Years

by The Irrawaddy
May 4, 2016
13.5k

In the wake of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on Tuesday, The Irrawaddy revisits a history of Burmese media stretching...

Read moreDetails
Burmese Director Explores Same-Sex Relationships in New Film
Burma

Burmese Director Explores Same-Sex Relationships in New Film

by Yu Mon Kyaw
January 28, 2016
8.2k

Entitled ‘Gemini,’ Nyo Min Lwin’s film about romance between two men explores ground seldom trod in Burma’s movie industry.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
New Rangoon-Ho Chi Minh City Air Route Due Early October

New Rangoon-Ho Chi Minh City Air Route Due Early October

Community Researchers Detail Drivers of Degradation along the Irrawaddy River

Community Researchers Detail Drivers of Degradation along the Irrawaddy River

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

2 days ago
1.2k
‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

6 days ago
801

Most Read

  • Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Recaptures Nawnghkio After Months-Long Counteroffensive

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.