Myanmar is one of the least connected countries in the world, with an estimated Internet penetration at just over one per cent. The country was ruled by a rigid military regime for half a century, who had a firm grip on the media and brutally cracked down upon any political dissent. In 2011, in a surprise move, a process of reform and a transition towards democracy began under the leadership of President Thein Sein. As a result, foreign investment in the country’s lagging telecom sector is now emerging. This thesis is a case study that partly aims to identify the major challenges facing Internet freedom as it relates to the human rights discourse and partly explores how two foreign telecom companies, Telenor and Ooredoo, are approaching responsible investment as they enter the country. Methodologically, the study is based on interviews, some of which were conducted during a two months field visit in Myanmar in 2013, and thorough document analysis. The research concludes that the major challenges facing Internet freedom in Myanmar are a deficit legal framework and the absence of digital literacy, which has contributed to irresponsible practices of hate speech in the online environment. Both Ooredoo and Telenor demonstrate an awareness of the complexities in Myanmar, whilst Telenor has a stronger formal commitment to respecting human rights.

The thesis focuses on the behaviour of the largest world superpowers, the United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China, in terms of internet freedom. The aim is to examine in what manner and to what extent these countries limit or protect their citizens' right to freedom of expression on the internet. The resulting data should reveal or disprove significant discrepancies between the character of the political regimes which the selected countries represent, and their real practices towards the freedom of speech on the internet. The subject of the analysis is to compare these countries' data which were presented in the Freedom on the Net 2011-2015, a series of reports by the independent non- profit organisation of Freedom House. The data are compared through comprehensive graphs and charts, which help to illustrate and map the development of the individual countries' behaviour in time. The thesis is complemented by a chapter focusing on the historical development of internet, illustrating who participated at its birth and who has a major influence on its current form.