Myanmar’s embattled military government cracks down on free flow of news by blocking VPNs

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has launched a major effort to block free communication on the Internet, shutting off access to virtual private networks, or VPNS. Those can be used to circumvent blockages of banned websites and services. The attempt to restrict access to information began at the end of May. Reports in local media say the attack on internet usage includes random street searches of people’s mobile phones to check for VPN applications, with a fine if any are found — though it’s unclear if payments are an official measure. A test by The Associated Press on Friday of more than two dozen VPN apps found that only one that could connect.