Shin Satellite—a subsidiary of Shin Corporation, which is owned by the family of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra—has already sold a number of IPStar satellite terminals to Burma.
All of these recent developments pose serious concerns for those that hope Burma’s internet might one day be less restricted. Indeed, Bambauer believes the junta’s actions are likely to result in strict censorship for years to come: “Countries that implement filtering and surveillance are building an infrastructure from the ground up—this initial architecture influences how these practices evolve in the country over time,” he says.
“In other words, filtering and surveillance are path-dependent, and initial choices can dictate future developments.”
Burma would, however, be unable to achieve such sophisticated results without help from overseas, experts say. The companies facilitating Burma’s increasingly sophisticated restrictions on internet freedom operate out of nations that are among the most outspoken about the country’s need for democratic reform.
The net result for Burma’s democracy movement is clear—the worldwide web is no longer a window of opportunity allowing even the slightest degree of safety in circulating information considered subversive by the government. Would-be cyber-dissidents in Burma should beware.
| Foreign ISP is Still-Born
By Clive Parker
Pat James, Shaun Hurley and Mike Blanche do not speak any more.
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