Myanmar

Myanmar shut down a major online scam center in mid-October as part of operations that began in September to curb cross-border online scams and illegal gambling

Associated Press :

Starlink VP Lauren Dreyer says the company “proactively identified and disabled over 2,500 Starlink Kits in the vicinity of suspected ‘scam centers’” in Myanmar

SpaceX says it has disabled more than 2,000 Starlink devices connected to scam compounds in Myanmar …

The US Treasury Department sanctions the Myanmar-linked Karen National Army over helping organized crime groups operate multibillion-dollar “scam compounds”

The US sanctioned a militia in Myanmar linked to the ruling junta for supporting and profiting from cyber scams …

Sources: no major players behind online scam centers in Myanmar were taken down in the recent China-led raids, and the construction of new centers continues

Hannah Beech / New York Times :

Access Now: 54 countries imposed internet shutdowns at least 296 times in 2024, led by Myanmar, displacing India from the top spot for the first time since 2018

Ina Fried / Axios :

Thailand cuts power, internet, and fuel supplies to parts of Myanmar suspected of housing online scam centers, ahead of PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's China visit

Patpicha Tanakasempipat / Bloomberg :

UN report: cyber crime syndicates raked in as much as $37B in 2023 and are growing in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and across Southeast Asia despite police efforts

- Operations are becoming more professionalized with use of AI  — Casinos, hotels and SEZs being used by cyber crime groups

A Myanmar official says his ethnic minority militia arrested and repatriated 1,200+ Chinese nationals allegedly involved in criminal online scam operations

Associated Press :

The UN's Myanmar investigation lead says Facebook provided a vast amount of Myanmar war crimes information; Meta says it also shared material with The Gambia

Sources: Myanmar's junta rolls out Chinese surveillance cameras with facial recognition tech in five more cities and plans to add them to every state in Myanmar

Fanny Potkin / Reuters :