Telenor's 'Norway Values' Translate to Junta Collaboration
Myanmar activists are suing Norway’s Telenor for allegedly providing user data to the junta after the 2021 coup, a move that reportedly helped target and track dissidents. Telenor claims it was forced to comply or risk assets, a familiar excuse echoed by corporations globally when facing authoritarian demands. This isn't just about selling a company; it's about handing over the digital lives of
millions, including their call records and location data, to a regime known for brutal repression. Funny how corporate 'social responsibility' evaporates when the going gets tough, or profitable. This 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' narrative conveniently sidesteps the proactive choices companies make when entering high-risk markets. Norway, often lauded for its human rights stance, now
sees a homegrown corporate 'champion' implicated in aiding a military junta. One might wonder if the outcry would be as muted if the data were handed to, say, Russia or China—oh wait, that's already happened. The real story isn't just Telenor's compliance; it's the systemic corporate willingness to prioritize market access over the lives of the very customers they claim to serve. How many
'ethical' companies discover their values are negotiable once a government points a gun, or merely a profit margin, at their head?