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Social Media Censorship By Government Amps Up in 2022
Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has announced that Anti-fake news centers are being established to coordinate efforts to deal with fake news on social media.
Government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said yesterday that the cabinet approved the Prime Minister’s draft regulation to crack down on fake news and false information. Above all to ensure that people receive correct information, the spokesman said.
Mr. Thanakorn said the upcoming regulation will establish centers that will integrate efforts to combat fake news.
In order to tackle this issue, the permanent secretary’s office of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society will set up a central coordination center. This will serve as the main coordination center. Each government ministry will set up its own coordination center as well.
Provincial administration centres will also be established at the provincial level by the Interior Ministry’s Provincial Administration Department.
Fake News Spreading on Social Media
The new regulation specifies that in the event of fake news spreading on social media, concerned officials must alert the public and their Public Relations Department in a timely manner and swiftly correct the information. They must also commence legal action against those involved in spreading the fake news, the spokesperson said.
Authorities must also ask the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to immediately remove the fake news from the computer system, he said.
Mr. Thanakorn also said the draft would be used as a guide to combat fake news. The purpose of fake information or news is to create social divisions that damage the reputation and economy of the country.
The Anti-Fake News Center was established by the MDES in November 2019 to combat false and misleading information that violates the Computer Crimes Act. It continues to identify alleged fake news, particularly news related to COVID-19.
In May 2021, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of the Ministry of Justice established a new Fake News center to investigate information about the COVID-19 pandemic that has been deemed false and found to undermine the government’s efforts in mitigating the pandemic.
Internet Censorship in Thailand
In terms of internet freedom, Thailand now ranks third-lowest in the world, down two spots from last year, according to Comparitech, a website dedicated to improving security and privacy online.
According to the report, Thailand’s internet freedom was 73% restricted, placing it in a small group – alongside Belarus, Qatar, Syria, Turkmenistan, and the United Arab Emirates – assigned a score of 8 out of 11, with 11 being North Korea and China.
Compareitech said Thailand’s score dropped significantly from 6 out of 10 in 2020, largely due to increased censorship of adult websites, including Pornhub, one of the 20 most popular sites in the country.
North Korea and China ranked the worst for internet censorship with 11 out of 11, while Iran scored 10. There were no countries with scores of 9 but six, including Thailand, had scores of 8.
The countries listed in the eighth tier all ban pornography, heavily censor political media, restrict social media (bans have also been seen in Turkmenistan), and restrict VPN use, according to Comparitech.
There were 190 adult websites taken down as a result of an online porn ban in Thailand, the country with the highest level of censorship of websites.”
Along with Guinea and Greece, Thailand was one of three countries with increased censorship from 2020.
The Comparitech website features an interactive map that contains all the details.
