Thailand monitors the internet
Access
Around a quarter of Thai citizens are online. Some, particularly those in Bangkok, can access high-speed Internet at home or at cyber cafes. Until 2006, the state-run Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT) operated the nation’s only Internet exchange point. There are now nine exchange points, with the CAT operating only two. In 2010, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) replaced the National Telecommunications Commission as the country’s independent industry regulator. The Senate-appointed commission includes officials from the military, police, bureaucracy, and civil society. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) oversees ICT policy throughout the country, including those related to Internet filtering.
Control
The Thai government has used legislation, court orders, and extrajudicial authority to restrict online speech, leading many netizens to self-censor. In 2002, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) created a Cyber Inspector unit that filters content relating to pornography, gambling, terrorism, separatist movements, and criticism of the monarchy. The last category—called lese majeste—has driven an increase in censorship and, since 2008, state-run Internet gateways have primarily filtered URLs relating to such content. The 2007 Computer Crime Act empowers the government to block online information, seize computer equipment, and punish people who use computers to commit crimes, spread pornography, or post information “likely to damage the country's security or cause a public panic.” The law extends the same penalty to Internet service providers as it does to individuals, chilling free expression online.
https://thenetmonitor.org/country-profiles/tha
