Telenor is being sued for handing over phone data that was used to arrest and execute dissidents

The Justice and Accountability Initiative, a Swedish non-profit organization, has filed a lawsuit against Telenor’s subsidiary in Myanmar for sharing private information of dissidents with the country’s military regime.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday on behalf of over 1,200 people whose phone data was shared by Telenor’s former subsidiary in Myanmar, which allegedly led to arrests, prosecutions, and executions of dissidents.

The claim revolves around allegations that the Norwegian telecom operator handed over private user data, including call records and location information, to the military junta following a coup in February 2021.

In July 2021, Telenor sold its Myanmar subsidiary. All customer data and the company’s active surveillance technology that was installed were turned over to a military-linked company. Telenor fully exited Myanmar in March 2022.

According to the lawsuit, at least 1,253 phone numbers were shared with the military junta. This information has reportedly been used by Myanmar’s military to identify and target political opponents. Some individuals were allegedly detained, while others faced harsher outcomes, including death sentences.

The plaintiffs claim that Telenor either failed to prevent the disclosure of this data or knowingly allowed it, without taking sufficient steps to protect users from misuse by the authorities.

Therefore, the plaintiffs seek damages of around €9,000 per customer whose data was shared. In addition, two individuals represented in the case are claiming damages for financial losses.

“For us as civil society representatives, we want to hold Telenor accountable on behalf of other users of Telenor, not only for specific people but also for the wider community that was harmed. This is why we are bringing this case,” Ko Ye, Chairperson of Justice and Accountability Initiative, said.

Telenor has defended its actions and denies any wrongdoing.

“Telenor Myanmar was operating on the ground in a war zone,” the company said in an email to Reuters, adding that refusing the military authorities’ requests could have led to “imprisonment, torture, or the death penalty” for local ​employees.

“We could not play Russian roulette with the lives of our employees. It is terrible if data from ​Telenor has been misused by the authorities,” the telecom provider added.

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