The junta-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), set to face little opposition in the upcoming junta-supervised elections, announced on November 15 its plans for managing internet freedom after the vote.
The USDP’s election manifesto outlined measures it considered necessary to control the internet, citing the current political climate as justification.
The manifesto also highlighted the USDP's intention to enact laws to protect internet security and personal data in the science and technology sector.
However, analysts have criticized the USDP, arguing that its true aim is to suppress the Myanmar people’s freedom of expression, speech, and access to information over the long term, while consolidating control over telecommunications services.
The USDP will contest the upcoming election, scheduled in two phases on December 28, 2025, and January 11, 2026, fielding the largest number of candidates nationwide. Many of the party’s candidates are retired military officers.
Nai Aue Mon, program director at the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), said the USDP is already counting on a clear victory in the upcoming election, suggesting that it is preparing to implement laws restricting communications technology and to resort to repression once the government is formed.
“The USDP is clearly determined to curb press freedom. It’s already counting on winning the election and drafting rules and laws that could drag the country back into the dark ages. It’s also preparing to maintain the current repression of communications technology, effectively keeping the people as slaves under military rule, which is deeply concerning,” he told Than Lwin Times.
He also warned that the internet will remain under constant surveillance, with users subject to tracking, arbitrary arrests, torture, long-term imprisonment, and even killings, all of which could have harming consequences for the people of Myanmar.
The junta's National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) has established and operates a committee that monitors internet usage around the clock, purportedly to counter smear campaigns and political attacks online.
The USDP manifesto also pledged to promote the development of software and applications aimed at addressing the country’s needs.
Under the current junta rule, Myanmar is experiencing conditions similar to those in China, where only government-approved social media is permitted and criticism of the authorities is strictly suppressed. Analysts believe the USDP is preparing to continue operating in the same way.
Activists criticized that the junta’s puppet, the USDP, will continue imposing internet restrictions to protect the Myanmar military’s grip on power.
Former student leader Ko Min Thway Thit emphasized that the Myanmar people’s struggle against the military dictatorship must continue even after the election, and that they will need to keep resisting all forms of injustice.
“The USDP is only trying to protect the dictator’s throne, but it will fail. The people of Myanmar will keep resisting the military dictatorship, using every bit of technology they can access. The internet and privacy laws the USDP is planning to implement after the election are really just a crackdown on anti-dictatorship activities. They’re not meant to serve the people at all,” he said.
Since staging the coup in 2021, the junta has tightened internet restrictions and stepped up efforts to control the flow of information. It has blocked Facebook, the country’s most widely used social media platform, for nearly five years, forcing the public to rely on virtual private networks (VPNs) to access it.
The junta has also enacted cybersecurity laws that could infringe on public privacy, claiming they are meant to protect the country’s sovereignty and stability.
Since the coup, 1,993 people have been arrested for posting or sharing content opposing the junta and supporting the revolution on social media, according to Data for Myanmar.
