Media Release from Burma Campaign UK and International Campaign for the Rohingya
Google, Apple, YouTube (owned by Google), and LinkedIn (owned by Microsoft) are hosting Burmese military company Mytel Apps and channels, despite the company being sanctioned by the American government last week.
Mytel may also be using technologies directly or indirectly supplied by Oracle, TensorFlow (owned by Google), PyTorch (Linux Foundation), Cisco, Juniper Networks, Fortinet, and Microsoft, according to past job advertisements from Mytel.
Mytel, a mobile/cellular telecoms company, is a joint venture between the Burmese military and Vietnamese telecoms company Viettel, which is owned by the Vietnamese military.
It is one of the highest profile Burmese military-owned companies but has evaded sanctions until now as the Burmese military has a less than fifty-percent stake in the company.
On 6th January 2025 Mytel owner, Telecom International Myanmar Company Limited, was sanctioned by the United States “for providing surveillance services and financial support to Burma’s military regime, enabling the regime to carry out human rights abuses through the tracking and identification of target individuals and groups.”
Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Burmese military, personally attended the launch of the company in 2018. Mytel has not only provided revenue to the military through profits, but also through the leasing of land from the military for towers and other infrastructure. Members of the Burmese military and their families receive kickbacks, and free sims are given to soldiers in the Burmese military.
Burma is in the midst of a human rights and humanitarian crisis following the launch of yet another military coup in 2021. Daily airstrikes and conflict have displaced more than 4 million people, and a record 21,000 political prisoners are in jail. The Burmese military is being investigated for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court and stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. Numerous reports by the United Nations have found that the Burmese military is violating international law on a daily basis.
Burma Campaign UK and International Campaign for the Rohingya are calling on American technology companies still hosting Mytel apps, channels, and pages to immediately close them down, as Facebook did more than three years ago. Apple hosts around nine apps for Mytel. Google hosts around eight.
Simon Billenness, Executive Director of International Campaign for the Rohingya said:
“American technology companies whose software may be being used by Mytel should immediately review existing contracts, end direct sales and services if they are being provided, and instruct third-party suppliers to do the same. They must cut off access to existing software being used if possible, and ensure no updates, patches, etc are supplied to Mytel in the future. If they are supplying the joint venture partner Viettel, they must ensure that Viettel is not using their technology for Mytel, and end their business relationship with Viettel if they do not receive that assurance.”
Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK said:
“Why are American technology companies still providing services to companies owned by the Burmese military, despite its human rights record and the clear links between Burmese military-owned companies and the human rights violations they commit? American tech firms are underpinning a military-owned company which the American government has sanctioned for providing surveillance and revenue enabling the Burmese military to carry out human rights violations.”
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