Le Courrier des Stratèges
August 4th
To strengthen its surveillance capacity, Myanmar's military junta has equipped the country with Chinese-made facial recognition systems. If the junta had assured that their objective was to guarantee security in Burma and to preserve civil peace with a "safe city". The safety of democracy activists and resistance groups appears to be at risk. Myanmar's junta uses this technology to hunt down and eliminate its opponents.
To increase its surveillance capabilities, more and more countries are using facial recognition technology such as Clearview AI software. Following the February 2021 coup, Burma was already using facial recognition technology. At the time, the authorities aimed to create "smart cities" by installing security cameras in the towns of Tangon, Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Sittwe and the capital of Rakhine State, under the overthrown civilian government led by by Aung San Suu Kyi. But clearly, this expansion of facial technology systems is all about constant surveillance on the population. A grip of power that will put down all kinds of opposition.
A serious threat to human rights
Just as China has used facial recognition technology to profile the Uyghur ethnic minority, the Myanmar junta has also ordered several cameras equipped with artificial intelligence technology from Chinese companies Huawei, Hikvision and Dahua, to impose constant surveillance on the population.
According to DW, these devices feature artificial intelligence technology that automatically scans the faces and license plates of vehicles in public places and alerts authorities to people on wanted lists.
Experts say the increased use of Chinese-made facial recognition technology endangers anyone who dares to oppose Myanmar's military rule. In March 2020, a report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) already denounced the excessive use of Chinese facial recognition systems by the Myanmar junta.
Some equipment was placed in the townships around the capital Naypyidaw, before the takeover by the military following the coup on February 1, 2021. On February 1, 2021, the military seized power and overthrew the democratically elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The document said this poses "a serious threat to human rights".
A digital authoritarian regime
The Myanmar junta remains true to itself. By controlling Myanmar's largest telecommunications company, Telenor, it has also strengthened its grip on the internet, implementing censorship of online content.
There are reports that she installed spyware on telecommunications services and internet service providers to better monitor and combat online “traitors”.
One of the activists from Yangon, Thinzar Shunleo Yi, said that we must now resist “a digital authoritarian regime, at any time the junta can determine where we are and what we are doing…all our information can be exposed”. And to add that it has become “more difficult to organize a big strike in different urban areas”. According to the activist, the junta widely uses its digital power to spread false information.
Currently, the security situation continues to deteriorate in southeastern Myanmar. Indeed, several areas of southeastern Myanmar have become the scene of clashes between militants and the army, which uses heavy artillery.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), since the military regime took power, the junta has killed more than 2,100 individuals. Numerous arrests have also taken place in Myanmar and more than 14,800 people have been charged and sentenced.
HRW's deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, has also said that the junta uses surveillance cameras to track the actions of opponents. It then plans raids to arrest and eliminate them, this being the case of 4 executed militants, namely Phyo Zeya Thaw, Kyaw Min Yu, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.
According to HRW, the use of facial recognition technology is very common around the world, but is programmed for security reasons. Indeed, governments use it to fight crime. [ HRW here conveniently forgets how the categories of "crime" and "dissidence" overlap and converge in totalitarian governments, FW ]
In addition, the results are far from up to par, according to researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a center affiliated with the US government, current facial recognition systems are not always reliable and can misidentify people.
In any case, its use jeopardises the freedom and privacy of thousands of individuals. This “Orwellian” tactic, a method of general citizen surveillance, is beeing increasingly contested in Western democracies and should become the subject of parlimentary debate.
Related: Europe Is Building a Huge International Facial Recognition System
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