Myanmar possesses powerful surveillance tools; can extract deleted phone data & more [details]

Given the political climate, anything that contributes to the empowerment of Myanmar's military regime at the moment is a cause for concern. And if that happens to be the means to extract and decrypt information from computers and phones, that's a red signal in ways more than one.

As per a report in The Globe and Mail that's surfaced, two Canadian companies, namely OpenText and Magnet Forensics, have sold digital tools to authorities in Myanmar. These tools can be used to extract and decrypt information from computers and cell phones. They also give the authorities the capability to look deeply into a device by decrypting messages, reviving deleted data, even bypassing passwords and accessing social media accounts, including cloud storage. The development has immediately raised concerns that the country's coup regime is using them to target its opponents and misuse the powerful tools.

What the Canadian companies say

Both OpenText and Magnet Forensics say that the equipment and tools were sold to the country earlier this year before the coup. They also said that all further sales to Myanmar have been stopped. The report added that "neither company's previous sales appear to violate Canadian sanctions that bar direct transactions with the country's military."

But that does not change the fact that digital tools for accessing the data and information from devices such as phones and computers, including deleted data, are now in the hands of Myanmar authorities, which is the military after it removed the civilian government.

Human rights activists fear the obvious. These tools now give Myanmar the capacity to monitor and interfere with those who have opposed the military regime. Magnet Forensics said in a corporate statement that, "it has monitored developments in Myanmar carefully. In 2020, given the deteriorating human-rights situation, the company decided to not renew the single license of its software in the country held by the Myanmar Police and to restrict any further sales in the jurisdiction."

Military stopping people for random phone checks

The activists and social media reports are a testimony to the random and routine checks in Myanmar. Dissidents and protestors say the security forces are routinely stopping people everywhere to scan the phones for any anti-military content.

The Globe and Mail also quoted Ko Ting Oo, General Secretary of the All Arakan Students' & Youths' Congress as saying, "Seizing a phone is a normal phenomenon in Myanmar. After seizing the phone, they check all of the data on the detainee's phone. They even check people's phones on the bus or vehicles at their checkpoints. They check Messenger, Viber, Facebook status."

The acquisitions...

According to the country's budgetary records, obtained by Justice For Myanmar, which is a research and advocacy group, Myanmar's transport and communications ministry bought equipment for a digital forensics lab for retained data and devices. Magnet AXIOM and Magnet AXIOM Cloud (both made by Magnetic Forensics) EnCase Forensic V8 and EnCase Mobile Investigator made by OpenText, were among the acquisitions.

That's not it. The Myanmar budget document also shows the acquisition of surveillance and digital forensic technology from as many as 40 manufacturers and developers, according to Lighthouse Reports analysis.

Understanding Myanmar coup

It's hard not to view the current development against the backdrop of the Myanmar coup. Ever since the military seized control on February 1 and declared a year-long state of emergency, mass protests have been taking place across Myanmar. Hundreds of people, including children, have been killed. Elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her party National League for Democracy (NLD) have been among those detained.

What is digital forensics technology?

If put to the right use, digital forensics technology can be a very powerful tool to monitor and disrupt anti-social and inhuman activities like human trafficking, smuggling, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation networks etc.

However, in the real world, there are cons to be considered as well. In the past few years, the Canadian government has funded the controversial Project Relay, which includes federal spending of up to $18 million a year. Canadian authorities have defended the program by saying it is meant to stop the irregular migratory flows of children and women.

Justice for Myanmar has been openly critical in a joint statement, "Any international business that supplies arms and dual-use goods to Myanmar is complicit in the shocking human rights violations inflicted on the people."