Norway Investigates Telenor Over Data Handover to Myanmar Military Regime

Norwegian law enforcement has launched two separate investigations into Telenor, the Norway government majority owned telecommunications company, over its conduct in Myanmar following the country's 2021 military coup. The National Criminal Investigation Service is examining whether Telenor's repeated handover of historical customer traffic data to the ruling military regime made it complicit in crimes against humanity, given the regime's documented abuses against civilians during that period.

A second investigation, run by Norway's Police Security Service, is looking into sanctions violations tied to Telenor's 2022 sale of its Myanmar business unit. That sale reportedly included sanctioned surveillance equipment and handed over historical call data belonging to more than 18 million people, allegedly without the required approval from Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Police raided Telenor's Oslo headquarters as part of the probe.

Telenor has defended its actions, stating that employees faced imprisonment, torture, or death if they did not comply with the junta's orders, and says it has already provided documents to investigators. The case highlights the difficult position multinational companies can face when operating under authoritarian regimes that demand access to customer data.