Myanmar vulnerable to China's snooping as it tries to firewall its dissidents online

Myanmar's military 'Tatmadaw' is vulnerable to snooping from China's security agencies as the regime tries to tap Beijing's expertise in developing internet firewalls against pro-democracy forces who are seen to have the upper hand in terms of their information reach to global and local online audiences.

Further, Chinese security agencies now known to be building Myanmar's firewall against the dissidents are simultaneously able to tap into the Tatmadaw's military computers and potentially access and collect sensitive information in the construction process, according to Asia Times.

Further, China has plenty of incentive to tap into the information streams .....after vacillating hot and cold relations and years of mutual suspicion on a range of sensitive security issues.

Myanmar military's firepower may be far superior compared to the scattered resistance armies that have popped up nationwide to fight the Tatmadaw since it staged a February 1 coup, but in cyberspace, pro-democracy forces have a tech-savvy upper hand, according to Asia Times.Whether the Tatmadaw is killing civilians, burning villages or arresting activists in the dark of night, eyewitness accounts of the abuse are almost instantaneously spread worldwide over social media.

When an army truck rammed a peaceful demonstration in the old capital Yangon, killing and wounding several people, the murderous driver's picture, name and even regimental number were quickly disseminated in online forums, according to Asia Times.

International internet watchdog organizations are following closely China's role in helping Myanmar's military regime develop its online blocking and snooping capabilities since the February 1 coup.

Myanmar's internationally well-connected and computer-savvy dissidents may be able to detect malware, but the Tatmadaw will be vulnerable given its limited experience in the field and overall lack of cyber know-how.

Ultimately, that means Myanmar officials will be cyber-dependent on the very same Chinese technicians who are spying on them, according to Asia Times.

( With inputs from ANI )

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