Over a thousand people may have been persecuted, tortured, arrested or killed when Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor handed over sensitive customer data to the military junta in Myanmar. Now victims and relatives are threatening to sue and demanding millions in damages.
On Monday, Telenor’s management received a notice of lawsuit where the compensation claim is motivated by the telecom company illegally sharing sensitive personal data with Myanmar’s military junta.
“We ask for a response on whether the basis for the claim is disputed as soon as possible, but no later than within two weeks”, the letter stated.
Behind the claim stands the Dutch organization Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (Somo) together with several Myanmar civil society organizations.
After the military coup in February 2021, the junta forced telecom operators like Telenor to hand over sensitive information about their customers. The information was then used to identify, track and arrest regime critics and activists.
Politician executed
Among those affected is a prominent politician and Telenor customer, and after the company handed over the data, the man was arrested, sentenced to death and executed in prison.
— We know that the potential group of victims is more than 1,000 people, says Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, director and lead negotiator at Somo to Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.
He emphasizes that some of the victims are dead and executed, while several are arrested.
— We are in contact with their family members and demand financial compensation from Telenor for what they have been subjected to.
Claim worth millions
Lawyer Jan Magne Langseth, partner at Norwegian law firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig, represents Somo in the case. He states that the claim will be extensive.
— We have not yet set an exact figure, but there is little doubt it will amount to several hundred million kroner, he says.
Both individuals and organizations working for the democracy movement in Myanmar are demanding compensation.
— We have the number lists that were handed over to the junta, but we don’t have all the names of the subscribers yet, says Langseth.
The notice establishes that Telenor systematically handed over personal data to the military junta, well aware that this would lead to human rights violations – including persecution, arbitrary arrests and elimination of opponents.
“This can be documented with extensive evidence”, the document states.
Telenor: “No good choices”
Telenor’s communications director David Fidjeland dismisses the matter and claims that the issue has already been resolved.
“The tragic developments in Myanmar have been the subject of several investigations within the police and judiciary without leading anywhere. Telenor Myanmar found itself in a terrible and tragic situation and unfortunately had no good choices”, he writes in an email and continues:
“That journalists from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to Marienlyst [Telenor’s headquarters in Norway] received this notice long before we ourselves received it unfortunately says something about where Somo has its focus. This unfortunately seems more like a PR stunt in a tragic matter than a serious communication”.
Sold operations in 2022
Telenor received a mobile license in Myanmar in 2014. In a short time, the company became a major mobile operator with over 18 million customers in the country. After the military coup in February 2021, when the previous government was overthrown, Telenor chose to sell its mobile operations in Myanmar to Lebanese M1 Group – including customer data. The sale was completed in March 2022.
According to local media, M1 Group’s local partner has close ties to the military junta.
Lawyer Langseth addresses the question of whether a refusal to hand over data would have affected local employees.
— The employees at Telenor Myanmar did not need to be involved. It could have been controlled from Norway or other countries in the group. Witnesses have told us that there was internal resistance among several of the key local employees at Telenor Myanmar against handing over data to the junta, he says.
