Myanmar’s military regime has blocked the Signal encrypted messaging app, escalating its crackdown on the flow of information and ability of resistance groups to coordinate their efforts.
Signal was blocked by the regime on July 15 in a move that denied public access to the last remaining secure communication channel in Myanmar, said digital rights activists.
The encrypted app had been popular with independent journalists, anti-regime activists and resistance forces since the 2021 military takeover.
Signal can be used for instant messaging, voice calls, and video calls, as well as sending texts, voice notes, images, videos, and other files.
“The regime can’t monitor or intercept messages on Signal. It does not want to have secure communication channels that are publicly available. So, it has blocked it,” said Ma Wai Phyo Myint, Asia Pacific Policy Analyst for Access Now, which promotes digital rights worldwide.
The junta blocked Facebook and other messaging apps including Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram following the coup, forcing Myanmar people to use virtual private networks (VPN) to bypass the restrictions. In early June, it banned VPN services and threatened up to three years in prison for anyone caught defying the ban.
Netizens are now unable to use Signal unless they deploy a VPN.
Users said Signal has functions that allowed them to continue using the app without a VPN. However, those functions were blocked on July 16.
“Fellow netizens were saying that Signal had been banned but could still be used after changes were made in settings,” commented one netizen.
“So, I tried and it worked. But a few days later, it stopped working. You can only use Signal with a VPN now.”
A language student said: “Previously we had to submit homework in a Facebook Messenger group formed by our teacher. After VPNs were banned, the teacher formed a Signal group as the app didn’t need a VPN. But this not working now.”
An information officer for an anti-regime group in Tanintharyi Region said the group had used Signal to inform local residents about junta raids. The ban has caused delays in the information flow, he said.
A reporter inside Myanmar said: “Previously, it was easier to contact sources. But there have been delays since we were forced to use a VPN to access Signal. Even if we are connected, we sometimes can’t hear the source clearly because of the poor connection.”
Random checks on phones of passersby by junta personnel have prompted many people to delete their VPN apps, according to another journalist inside the country. He said he uninstalls both VPN and Signal before he goes out in public.
Access Now said it has contacted Signal’s US-based developers to explain the situation in Myanmar and ask for assistance in defeating the block.
The regime has not yet touched Telegram or TikTok, which are widely used by junta propagandists to wage information warfare against anti-regime forces.
“The regime is able to block TikTok and Telegram. The only reason it has not yet blocked them is because it still needs them for its propaganda machine, not for the public interest,” Ma Wai Phyo Myint said.
