Myanmar: proposed law would criminalise online gambling

Authorities in Myanmar have proposed a draft cybersecurity law that would ban the use of virtual private networks and online gambling.

Myanmar.- Myanmar’s military junta has proposed a law that would criminalise the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and online gambling. Penalties would include a fine of US$2,800, three years in prison or both, according to the bill leaked to Asia Times.

Online gambling in Myanmar is technically already illegal, but there has been little enforcement. In recent years, Myanmar has emerged as a new destination for online gambling companies, which have expressed their opposition to the proposed law.

Rights group Free Expression Myanmar (FEM) said the proposed law and its impact on the free flow of information was a “serious threat to the safety and security of Myanmar’s digital space”.

The Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) also released a statement against the proposed law. It said: “The UMFCCI would like to urge the government to remove or reconsider restrictions on VPN since it has become an integral part of doing business, not only domestically but internationally as well.”