Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor is set to pull out of Burma over demands it run software that would allow the army to eavesdrop on private communications. The Lebanese investment firm M1 will likely step in to fill the gap, reports the Telegraph.
Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, called on Telenor to “stick it out and refuse to implement” what the Junta is demanding. “People are genuinely afraid for their safety, and there are people who are saying that if M1 do take over from Telenor they will have to leave the country.”
Rights groups have criticised M1’s history for running mobile networks under authoritarian regimes including Syria and Sudan where state surveillance is routine.