- On 8 April 2026, Swedish NGO Justice and Accountability Initiative filed a class action lawsuit against Telenor in Norway on behalf of Myanmar customers whose data was shared with the military junta. The case also includes specific claims brought on behalf of activists Zeya Thaw and Aung Thu, who were arrested following data disclosure – Zeya Thaw was ultimately executed.
- The case is supported by NGOs Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and Open Society Justice Initiative.
- This insight is based on press releases by the plaintiff organisations – we have not reviewed the original case filings.
Case background
- Telenor entered Myanmar in 2011 following the dissolution of the military junta. After the military coup on 1 February 2021, the company faced escalating security risks, threats to staff and demands to hand over user data. Telenor concluded it could no longer operate safely and sold its Myanmar business in 2022.
- An initial pre-action letter was filed in October 2025. Telenor allegedly responded and denied responsibility.
Key allegations and demands
- The Plaintiffs allege that
- Telenor disclosed sensitive user data to the military junta including at least 1,253 phone numbers which were used to track, arrest, and persecute opponents
- Telenor had a standardised process for handling requests for data disclosures, which required requests that infringed on human rights or lacked a legal basis to be escalated to an HQ risk assessment team and potentially to the CEO
- In line with this procedure, some data requests (including related to Zeya Thaw and Aung Thu) were escalated to HQ and approved, and the parent company was regularly informed of data requests without intervening
- It is unclear whether approvals were escalated to the CEO.
- The Plaintiffs are claiming € 9,000 euros in damages per customer whose data was shared.
Additional context
- Separately, in December 2025, the Norwegian OECD National Contact Point (NCP) found that Telenor did not carry out appropriate human rights due diligence and likely contributed to severe human rights impacts in Myanmar.
- The plaintiffs can refer to the findings in the NCP’s public Final Statement, but the decision is not binding on the court.