Thai Govt Back Cyber Scouts To Monitor Internet

[webfact]

Govt backed cyber scouts to monitor internet

By Asina Pornwasin

The Nation

The Information and Communications Technology Ministry is joining hands with the Justice and Education ministries to launch Cyber Scout, a project to build a network of volunteers to monitor inappropriate content on the Internet.

The project will train volunteers to engage with the cyber society and monitor websites that compromise national security as well as the royal institution.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that this project would also help bridge the digital divide between people who have and those who do not have a chance to access the Internet.

It would also educate them on the appropriate use of technology.

"The Internet now is a powerful communications channel and a twoedged sword.

"It is so important to encourage good moral use of technology for people," he said. This project is also in line with the government's promotion of a knowledgebased society.

ICT Minister Chuti Krairiksh said that in the beginning, this project would recruit 200 people from around the country, including students, teachers, government officials and the private sector, who have computers and Internet literacy.

These people will be trained in the proper use of the Internet and then they will become online volunteer scouts to help the government screen websites.

"If they find inappropriate websites, they will inform the government immediately. The Cyber Scout project lets the government have a network of cyber monitors," he said.

-- The Nation 2010-07-02

[gotlost]

Just another means for censorship.

[anotheruser]

Cyber scout sounds like a bad porn flick.

[hyperdimension]

This sounds like the government is looking for free labor. Maybe they don't want to pay people to surf the internet all day.

It didn't say anything about pornography, so I guess it should pass the filter and not be blocked.

China employs around 30K people to monitor internet traffic going in and out of their country.

[daoyai]

Cyber rats.

[landofthefree]

Cyber rats.

We will censor anything that is a threat to the Kingdom, this is so subjective and has been used so many times to serve a political end i.e. to keep the inequalities in Thai society as they are.

[junglist]

Big Brother just read what you posted...

[BigWheelMan]

The Internet has become a dangerous place.

It`s amazing what you can find out about people, with just an email address, phone number, name and photo traces. Births, addresses, employment, social security numbers, company ownerships, relatives, email, phone and fax numbers, marriages, children, debts, newspaper reports, medical and criminal records. It`s all there either for free or a small fee.

No one is anonymous anymore but many users don’t realise this fact, especially those that use social networking sites, visit adult sites, chatting, use a webcam, submit personal details, photos, personal so called one to one emails, forums, messenger and Skype conversations, everything is logged. Even your ThaiVisa profile is obtainable in a Google search.

If you make comments or put up images anywhere on line, sooner or later they will appear in the search engines. The system makes it extremely complicated or even impossible if you want these removed and could be there forever.

These days it is wise to consider the Internet as an open public facility and to do no more on line than you would in a public place. Because everything you do or say on line can be taken as evidence and used against you. Emails and messages can be recognised as evidence in a court of law. It`s like conducting your business in an open field, you never know who is listening, who’s looking in and who is going to sneak by in the dark and steal your stuff.

Yes, these are definately the times of big brother and the thought police. The 1984 Prophecy has come true. Be careful what you do and say out there, it`s a dangerous game.

Edited July 2, 2010 by BigWheelMan

[Jingthing]

We as westerners should do what we can to express our disgust with censorship of the internet here, in China, anywhere. Wrong direction!

[Rucharee]

A network of volunteers or a network of informers?

[Changian]

ICT Minister Chuti Krairiksh said that in the beginning, this project would recruit 200 people from around the country, including students, teachers, government officials and the private sector, who have computers and Internet literacy.

These people will be trained in the proper use of the Internet . .

So if even the 'students, teachers, government officials and the private sector, who have computers and Internet literacy' need to be trained in the 'proper use of the internet' what hope is there for the masses?

Next week the ICT minister announces it is time for all Thais to decide if they want terrorism and Camfrog or a democratic monarchy and harmony for all.

[Valentine]

"Scouts" have been used in the past e.g. the red scouts who by all accounts were a fairly violent bunch.

[Jingthing]

"Scouts" have been used in the past e.g. the red scouts who by all accounts were a fairly violent bunch.

Agreed. This is an unfortunate development and with the history of political scouts in Thailand, the use of the word scouts sends a dark message.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Jingthing

[TAWP]

We as westerners should do what we can to express our disgust with censorship of the internet here, in China, anywhere. Wrong direction!

Indeed. And it clearly shows that the government is heading the country in the wrong way of social fascism, as is done in Australia and several other 'developed' nations.

[NCFC]

We as westerners should do what we can to express our disgust with censorship of the internet here, in China, anywhere. Wrong direction!

Indeed. And it clearly shows that the government is heading the country in the wrong way of social fascism, as is done in Australia and several other 'developed' nations.

But Abhisit is your hero, remember? How can he possibly do any wrong?

[Jingthing]

We as westerners should do what we can to express our disgust with censorship of the internet here, in China, anywhere. Wrong direction!

Indeed. And it clearly shows that the government is heading the country in the wrong way of social fascism, as is done in Australia and several other 'developed' nations.

But Abhisit is your hero, remember? How can he possibly do any wrong?

That was a very rude, uncalled for comment, that does not in any way reflect my opinions about Thai politics, which is much more nuanced than your slanderous comment intimates.

[astral]

The Internet has become a dangerous place.

It`s amazing what you can find out about people, with just an email address, phone number, name and photo traces.

Places like facebook fill me with horror,

the amount of personal info people are giving out..........

[somchai69]

It would also educate them on the appropriate use of technology.

I wonder what that means??

Hacking tools perhaps.

[cdnvic]

Places like facebook fill me with horror,

the amount of personal info people are giving out..........

Think that's bad?

http://snoopon.me/

[TAWP]

We as westerners should do what we can to express our disgust with censorship of the internet here, in China, anywhere. Wrong direction!

Indeed. And it clearly shows that the government is heading the country in the wrong way of social fascism, as is done in Australia and several other 'developed' nations.

But Abhisit is your hero, remember? How can he possibly do any wrong?

Dear comrade Red Shirt.

No, he is not a hero for me and most likely not for Jingthing either.

Anything else you want to know?

[cdnvic]

If you guys are going to derail this topic for another useless argument I'll just send off the lot of you. I try not to hand out suspensions unless it's really bad but if you are just going to get into stupid fights over everything I'd be happy to change my attitude and start cracking down.

It's up to you.

[CPT]

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that this project would also help bridge the digital divide between people who have and those who do not have a chance to access the Internet.

How???

[kuffki]

"NATIONAL SECURITY" LMAO

What secrets does Thailand have?and who wants to know or use them?

[wolf5370]

This sounds like the government is looking for free labor. Maybe they don't want to pay people to surf the internet all day.

It didn't say anything about pornography, so I guess it should pass the filter and not be blocked.

China employs around 30K people to monitor internet traffic going in and out of their country.

And yet about a third of the world's destructive (black hat) hackers and many of the new trojans and virii come from China!

Yep it sounds like censorship - it also sounds like the internet will start to get even slower as they apply filters and stupid redirects (like the w3.mict.go.th one).

I don't think I have ever seen a Thai do anything other than play game, visit facebook/Hi5/etc or email !

Edited July 2, 2010 by wolf5370

[wolf5370]

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that this project would also help bridge the digital divide between people who have and those who do not have a chance to access the Internet.

How???

By taking it away from those that have

[wolf5370]

Interesting thing is, unlike other forms of censorship, the IT community (professional and non) are pretty effective a circumventing it - only North Korea and possibly Myanmar succeed somewhat by cutting off external connections and limiting the sale and use of computers (reportedly). The problem for the "censors" is they are almost always less qualified (and I am not talking certificates and degrees) than their 'opposition' and there are always more ways to break an egg than to protect it.

The FBI have some very heavy sentences and powers in their arsenal (often in the name of the so called 'cyber terrorism') and some very clued up resources/experts, and yet they do not stand a chance against those they seek - they barely scratch the surface (with very few arrests comparatively and such silly things as an international extradition on an autistic child that walked straight in to the Pentagon computer network). With all their money and resources they can make no impact; so my belief this is nothing but hot air (just like a certain previous PM - who sold the Nation's military and domestic communications network abroad! - with his "hub" of this and that and "first world by..." promises).

Edited July 2, 2010 by wolf5370

[kissdani]

Do they also take foreigners, could for example a Farang from North America become cyber scout too and and help to protect the govt from the internet?

[richard10365]

I would like to report Bangkok Post and The Nation Newspaper for some of the misguided headlines they write to sell newspapers.

[surangw]

think they will go after sites that expose scams in thailand?

[cdnvic]

Just a reminder that no discussion is allowed on how to evade website blocking as it violates both Thai law, and the forum's terms of use.