Internet Censorship in Burma Worsening

A new report on internet censorship in Burma says the ruling military junta is becoming more sophisticated in censoring online material after the recent introduction of a new firewall, allegedly supplied by US-based company Fortinet.

“Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study” by the Open Net Initiative —a collaboration between Harvard University, the University of Toronto and Cambridge University—tested access to a range of websites in Burma and found 84 percent of sites “with content known to be sensitive to the Burmese state” to be blocked. The blocked sites include The Irrawaddy’s homepage, as well as 85 percent of web-based email sites.

The report notes that Burma “implements one of the world’s most restrictive regimes of internet control” and suggests internet-based email sites, such as Hotmail and Yahoo, are barred because they allow an avenue for freedom of expression which cannot be monitored by the state. Burma has only two internet service providers—Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications and Bagan Cybertech—both of which charge for email accounts. Free email sites would therefore be considered a threat to both organizations’ ability to generate revenue.

MPT is directly controlled by the military, while Bagan Cybertech is rumored to have come under the increasing influence of the junta following the arrest of managing director Ye Naing Win—the son of ousted former prime minister Khin Nyunt—on a series of charges including economic crimes.

ONI’s study also found 65 percent of pornographic web pages to be prohibited in Burma as well as 24 percent of gambling sites, although it suggests the Burmese government’s “primary motivations for censorship appear to be political as opposed to moral or cultural.”

The main concern for internet users in Burma, according to the report, is the use of new filtering software which allows the junta to produce a more complete filtering system.