The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) just released a report on the Internet filtering regimes in Myanmar (Burma). Not surprisingly, their findings are pretty dismal. The state is one of the most repressive on earth, and even though its filtering system is not as sophisticated as China’s, Burma is getting more tightly controlled by the day.

As usual, a western company is behind the filtering system. This time it’s the American company Fortinet, who in a response to ONI’s allegations, claims to know nothing about selling equipment to Burma.

On the global list, we found nearly 11% of pages tested blocked, with a high level of filtering of e-mail service provider sites (85%). […] On our high impact list of sites with content known to be sensitive to the Burmese state, we found 84% of sites blocked, including nearly all political opposition and pro-democracy pages tested.

Access for citizens who cannot afford expensive dial-up connections, can go to licensed Internet caf?s, where they – after having produced an ID-card – can get online. However, the caf?s are by law required to capture screenshots every five minutes of their clients’ activities, and send to the Myanmar Information Communications Technology Development Corporation (MICTDC),