Snapshot

On 8 April 2026, an NGO filed a civil class action lawsuit in Norway against Telenor, a Norwegian telecommunications company, on behalf of Myanmar customers whose data was shared with local military authorities. The case alleges that at the Myanmar military’s request, Telenor disclosed sensitive data of customers who were suspected of opposing of the 2021 coup, despite knowing that such disclosure risked aiding human rights violations, including the execution of a prominent government opponent and the political prosecution of a social activist. Telenor has stated that it was “legally required” to provide the data. The case is ongoing.

Factual Background

After being awarded a mobile telecommunications licence by Myanmar in 2013, Telenor ASA (Telenor) established a subsidiary, Telenor Myanmar, which provided mobile data services to approximately 19 million customers by 2017. Following Myanmar’s military coup in early 2021, Telenor announced its intention to sell the subsidiary in June 2021, with the sale completing in March 2022. The military junta in Myanmar is accused of various human rights violations, including mass repression and violence.

On 11 December 2025, in response to a complain submitted by SOMO, the Norwegian National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct concluded that Telenor failed to conduct adequate human rights due diligence in accordance with OECD guidelines in its operation and disengagement in Myanmar following the coup.

Legal Proceedings

On 7 October 2025, as the first mandatory step to initiate legal proceedings in Norway, Myanmar civil society groups sent a pre-action letter to Telenor notifying their intention to sue. They allege that the company shared personal data with Myanmar’s military authorities, which was later used to persecute activists and other individuals who suffered human rights abuses. Telenor stated that they were legally required to comply with the requests from the military and that non-compliance could have risked the safety of their employees.

On 8 Apr 2026, on behalf of Myanmar claimants, the Justice and Accountability Initiative (JAI), a Swedish NGO, filed a civil class action lawsuit against Telenor in Norway. The case is ongoing.

Legal Argument

The JAI alleges that Telenor Myanmar provided sensitive personal information, including cell logs and location data, of suspected political opponents of the military regime at the Myanmar’s military junta’s request. The JAI further alleges that, despite knowing about the risk of its data being used for repression, Telenor failed to prevent the sharing of this data, even explicitly recommending compliance in some instances. The lawsuit seeks EUR9,000 per customer whose data was shared.

Additionally, two individual claims for damages are pursued on behalf of two customers, alleging that the sharing of their data by Telenor Myanmar to the military junta directly led to their respective execution and continued imprisonment.

Telenor has stated that it was “legally required to provide traffic data” to state authorities, and that the refusal of such requests could have risked "imprisonment, torture or the death penalty" for their local employees.

News Items

Norway: Telenor sued in class action over alleged disclosure of personal data to Myanmar military junta, Deutsche Welle, 8 Apr 2026

NGO sources

Norway: Myanmar customers sue Telenor for allegedly sharing private data with military, SOMO, 8 Apr 2026

Norway: Myanmar civil society groups and victims of post-coup repression to sue Telenor over alleged disclosure of personal data to the military junta, SOMO, 6 Oct 2026