Govt orders great firewall of Thailand

[jamiesilver]

actually - i would say this is a strategy to control the upcoming election to reduce the red leaders upper hand.... im sure the firwall will conveniently have glitches blocking facebook, youtube and other red sites... at least just until the elections are over...

[user82374298374]

This is never going to happen. It would cost upwards of $2B USD, it would take something like 3 years (if that quick) to implement, the hisos don't want it, it would drive international business away.

They're already publicly climbing down:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Dont-fear-Internet-single-gateway-ICT-minister-30269485.html

[user82374298374]

really??????? I doubt it. Think of NSA...and try again...

>I think I am correct in saying that the UK does NOT have a single Internet gateway

You are correct. Neither these government people nor the clueless commenters here have a clue as to how the Internet really works (can't spell BGP, don't know the difference between peering and transit, etc.).

Only a few rinky-dink countries have a single international peering/transit point.

[user82374298374]

really??????? I doubt it. Think of NSA...and try again...

You have no idea what you are talking about. You do not know how the Internet works.

If I were you, I'd quit spouting ill-informed nonsense while I was behind.

[StevieH]

really??????? I doubt it. Think of NSA...and try again...

>I think I am correct in saying that the UK does NOT have a single Internet gateway

You are correct. Neither these government people nor the clueless commenters here have a clue as to how the Internet really works (can't spell BGP, don't know the difference between peering and transit, etc.).

Only a few rinky-dink countries have a single international peering/transit point.

map showing countries with a single internet gateway. it's not a particularly enlightened list to be a member of.

[TigerandDog]

crazy, real crazy.. but sex sites have been blocked for ages by Thais. This is just more of the same. Anyway people wo sell VPN will make a killing.

Was doing some research on VPN's and TOR today in relation to the great firewall of Thailand. They will only be effective if they are not blocked by the great firewall. China, North Korea and Iran have all effectively blocked all VPN's and TOR, so there is no access to them. If it goes ahead, we will just have to live with slower internet, less access to some of our favourite web sites etc. I would even go as far as to say that if it does become operational Thai Visa will be one of the casualties. If it is not shut down, then just about everybody who posts all the negativity on here, and that would be around 98% of you, will find yourselves in very serious trouble with the law, because they won't stand for all the negative comments anymore. So I go back to one of my earlier posts, if you all complain so much, why are you still here? If it's that bad then go back to your home country or somewhere else.

Edited September 25, 2015 by TigerandDog

[ross163103]

I've always told people that Thailand currently has a dictatorship style government--article 44 comes to mind, not democratic and all they'd say was, "Yeah, but look at all the good the general is doing for Thailand". What was that again?

[connda]

Thailand’s Plan For Chinese-Style ‘Great Firewall’ Could Drive US Internet Giants Like Facebook, Google

By David Gilbert

The Great Firewall of China is the name given to the severe restrictions imposed on Internet access within that country. But even as China mulls opening up as part of a broader effort to boost its economy, one of its nearby Asian neighbors, Thailand, is looking to ramp up its own censorship program, using the People's Republic as a model.

According to government documents filed in June and highlighted on social media just this week, Thailand's military rulers plan to create “a single gateway for Thailand to block access to sites and control information flow." China operates three such gateways, but considering the difference in size of population and Internet use, this is not a surprise.

According to a translated version of the cabinet resolution filed on Sept. 4, at the end of June the Ministry of Information and Communication (MICT), along with relevant agencies including the Department of Justice and Royal Thai Police, were asked to establish a “single gateway to serve as a control tool to inappropriate sites and the influx of information from abroad through the Internet.”

The Thai government asked the MICT to check the legal requirements of establishing such a gateway in order to speed up the process. The one glaring issue the MICT may have to address is encryption, as effective encryption would prevent the government from monitoring Internet traffic flowing into and out of the country -- suggesting that the country may soon ban it, along with cloaking services like VPN and Tor.

Full story: http://www.ibtimes.com/thailands-plan-chinese-style-great-firewall-could-drive-us-internet-giants-facebook-2111726

Yeah right. Block SSL on port 443 and kiss international Internet commerce goodbye.

[sawadee1947]

really??????? I doubt it. Think of NSA...and try again...

You have no idea what you are talking about. You do not know how the Internet works.

If I were you, I'd quit spouting ill-informed nonsense while I was behind.

good to know that we have such an experienced and high educated Expat here. You are to help the government. It seems that they are as blind as me. Thank you....

PS: you can teach us lessons about internet, will you?

[metisdead]

Troll posts and baiting posts and replies have been removed.

[stickylies]

BIG knows what's best for (the) SMALL!

ps. Soon the Thai will have to go to Burma for free www (oh irony!)

[balo]

If theey block everything you can stll access internet via a satellite dish , a very expensive option but it works.

[ozterix]

and how on earth are they going to unified so many links into ONE?

this is mission impossible unless you chop 80% of the links

http://internet.nectec.or.th/webstats/show_page.php?py0HA8wH8+a7AIaRsDo/prnHnBJzfoE5torm+SGClYhPZJEE1gESebI9cHwecgLaOz7nyE1j4x8FXomGU3MCFD+tNlo2YQV55yOiL/YLpErxVAw+Yvas08+xXVWNJBs1

[b17]

Is the sky falling? Stop this fear mongering and grow a pair!!

I don't claim to be an internet expert, but after twenty years of being around Thailand and Thai people, I can assure you this supposed "Single Gateway" will NEVER happen in at least a decade (or two) at the very earliest. It's expensive, complicated to implement and will drive the economy downward - in simple terms, Thailand's elites would never support this measure, and that in itself is enough to stop the plan in its tracks.

Just take a chill pill and get back to your favourite websites . Nothing to see here...

[Bench499d]

This is never going to happen. It would cost upwards of $2B USD, it would take something like 3 years (if that quick) to implement, the hisos don't want it, it would drive international business away.

They're already publicly climbing down:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Dont-fear-Internet-single-gateway-ICT-minister-30269485.html

I've just read this clarification from the ICT ministry and while the surveillance aspect has gone, the single internet gateway remains, and as I explained in post #300 having a single point of failure is a bad idea so in short this won't happen because it just does not make technical sense, and won't save internet businesses money in the long run (or in the short run as they've already invested in their own gateways, points of presence and chunk of international bandwith).

[MaxLee]

Is the sky falling? Stop this fear mongering and grow a pair!!

I don't claim to be an internet expert, but after twenty years of being around Thailand and Thai people, I can assure you this supposed "Single Gateway" will NEVER happen in at least a decade (or two) at the very earliest. It's expensive, complicated to implement and will drive the economy downward - in simple terms, Thailand's elites would never support this measure, and that in itself is enough to stop the plan in its tracks.

Just take a chill pill and get back to your favourite websites . Nothing to see here...

Pray to your gods that you're right...

[Alwyn]

this is a very big mistake, its one thing to want to end the political sh*t fights but quite another to actually control what people can see and read. This will cause more trouble than he can possibly imagine and lose a lot of support for him.

It doesn't matter to him if he loses support. He doesn't care. He did not ask anybody's permission when he took over and overthrew the existing government.

Please try to get your story correct.

There WAS NO existing government as Yingluck had dissolved parliament in December 2013 some 6 months earlier.

You're correct but get YOUR facts right too. She dissolved the government to stop further violence brought about by the Junta's attack dog Suthep, she then did what she was legally bound to do, set up the caretaker government. The country was then prevented from having an election so it was all clear for the Junta to take over from the existing caretaker government (this is the caretaker government, the government that you say didn't exist)

[alfalfa19]

If theey block everything you can stll access internet via a satellite dish , a very expensive option but it works.

Hughes Satellite Network. That's what I do. It would be nice to do what I do in Thailand.

[ace]

Thai style I guess they can cut all the cables but 1, pop down to pantip and pick up a cheap Chinese firewall router and job done. What could possibly go wrong?

[Time Traveller]

This whole subject just makes my blood boil. I have been a big critic of the US governments intrusion into the rights of citizens, residents and visitors. American passports have a chip impeded that can be used to track people; The CIA/NSA has the ability to turn on a person's cell phone and find out where they are and see what is in the room with them; and key words spoken on the phone trigger alerts at the NSA which then monitors the phone call and it is recorded. Does Thailand really want to follow this model of intrusion? Why are governments so afraid of what people are saying? One thing the US has that is priceless is the American Constitution which in part states that a person has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is the model all Nations should be using, including Thailand and the US needs to start following .

Relax. No one comes to Thailand looking for "freedom" or "liberty". Everyone knows that that doesn't exist in thailand.

[Time Traveller]

Is the sky falling? Stop this fear mongering and grow a pair!!

I don't claim to be an internet expert, but after twenty years of being around Thailand and Thai people, I can assure you this supposed "Single Gateway" will NEVER happen in at least a decade (or two) at the very earliest. It's expensive, complicated to implement and will drive the economy downward - in simple terms, Thailand's elites would never support this measure, and that in itself is enough to stop the plan in its tracks.

Just take a chill pill and get back to your favourite websites . Nothing to see here...

Sounds like you've beleived all that "benevolent leader" propaganda the Prime Minister has told everyone.

If history is anything to go by Thailand "elites" care less about their economy than they do about maintaining their own control over the country. They couldn't care if half the country lived in poverty. Power is their only aim with this attempt to control information.

Edited September 25, 2015 by Time Traveller

[SiSePuede419]

"Why are governments so afraid of what people are saying?"

I'm not sure if you're clueless or have been in a coma for the past decade or so?

Here's why:

http://www.mindfulwebworks.com/radical/links/cartoon_crisis_2006/tony_auth_2006-02-03.gif

[thaibeachlovers]

Yes, if any confirmation of our plans to return to live in the UK were needed - well, that's it.

Let me get this straight. You only live in Thailand is because you can look at websites that the government doesn't like, and if you can't do that anymore you'd rather live in the UK?

[Dep714]

crazy, real crazy.. but sex sites have been blocked for ages by Thais. This is just more of the same. Anyway people wo sell VPN will make a killing.

Was doing some research on VPN's and TOR today in relation to the great firewall of Thailand. They will only be effective if they are not blocked by the great firewall. China, North Korea and Iran have all effectively blocked all VPN's and TOR, so there is no access to them. If it goes ahead, we will just have to live with slower internet, less access to some of our favourite web sites etc. I would even go as far as to say that if it does become operational Thai Visa will be one of the casualties. If it is not shut down, then just about everybody who posts all the negativity on here, and that would be around 98% of you, will find yourselves in very serious trouble with the law, because they won't stand for all the negative comments anymore. So I go back to one of my earlier posts, if you all complain so much, why are you still here? If it's that bad then go back to your home country or somewhere else.

You're exaggerating. It's probably only about 96% negative. But thank you, I feeling the same. "If you don't like it, then go home" is almost cliche, but not as bad as all the hating on thaivisa. It's worse than the hate Justin Beiber gets on Twitter.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Dep714

[hawker9000]

crazy, real crazy.. but sex sites have been blocked for ages by Thais. This is just more of the same. Anyway people wo sell VPN will make a killing.

Was doing some research on VPN's and TOR today in relation to the great firewall of Thailand. They will only be effective if they are not blocked by the great firewall. China, North Korea and Iran have all effectively blocked all VPN's and TOR, so there is no access to them. If it goes ahead, we will just have to live with slower internet, less access to some of our favourite web sites etc. I would even go as far as to say that if it does become operational Thai Visa will be one of the casualties. If it is not shut down, then just about everybody who posts all the negativity on here, and that would be around 98% of you, will find yourselves in very serious trouble with the law, because they won't stand for all the negative comments anymore. So I go back to one of my earlier posts, if you all complain so much, why are you still here? If it's that bad then go back to your home country or somewhere else.

"then just about everybody who posts all the negativity on here, and that would be around 98% of you, will find yourselves in very serious trouble with the law,"

LMAO. Yeah. Right. They're going to extradite everybody posting from other countries... Some few might decide to just risk it!

[2fishin2]

Is the sky falling? Stop this fear mongering and grow a pair!!

I don't claim to be an internet expert, but after twenty years of being around Thailand and Thai people, I can assure you this supposed "Single Gateway" will NEVER happen in at least a decade (or two) at the very earliest. It's expensive, complicated to implement and will drive the economy downward - in simple terms, Thailand's elites would never support this measure, and that in itself is enough to stop the plan in its tracks.

Just take a chill pill and get back to your favourite websites . Nothing to see here...

Its not so much about will it or not happen....its about the government wanting to control information.

But I guess you live in a world where you can't see the big picture and that's acceptable.

[connda]

Thailand should use the US model of data collection and incarceration, and build on it.

First, 'hoover' and archive every bit of information flowing in or out of Thailand;

Second, build more prisons;

Third, privatize said prisons;

Fourth, analyze archived data;

Fifth, identify thought crimes and opinions;

Sixth, incarcerate as many people as possible.

That way they don't have to block any websites. They just arrest, convict, and toss citizen into jail. Privatized prisons become extremely lucrative and add substantially to the GDP. Bonuses for the top brass. Then no international agency can accuse Thailand of 'censorship'.

[HooHaa]

It's true that free wi-fi access is much harder to come by in Thailand than, for ex., Cambodia, which is as we all know much poorer than Thailand. 99% of "free wi-fi" in Thailand requires registering and/or paying for that service. This is one of the reasons I find Thais to be unusually stingy.

Two other places without good free wi-fi: Hong Kong and Japan; needless to say it's not about a country/place being able to afford giving away wi-fi, but whether TPTB in that place know that it takes money (investment) to make money, or would rather make pennies now and lose dollars later.

free wifi is moot where a country has decent 3/4g and reasonable data plans, which thailand does. i rarely avail myself of free wifi, why would i? my phone is generally faster.

Might be moot for your needs, but if trying to download anything of size, or watching Internet TV in HD, the dif between 3G and good wifi is quite huge. Plus, with wifi, you have no limits on how much you view or download, whereas on 3G you are limited by the amount you pay for in your plan. For tourists, wifi is the much better solution, no hassles about roaming charges, compatibility, etc, but perhaps more importantly, much faster speeds/bigger bandwidth. Additionally, most laptops can't use 3G, need wifi access. Look at any coffee house that offers free wifi, see how many laptops are open, how many phones in use. Compare that to a coffee house that has no wifi, and you'll see which people prefer. Are you an employee of The Thai govt? Because your statement certainly mirrors their view of wifi.

i use wifi in my home and office on routers that i control on connections that i have paid for, oddly if there is something that needs doing onlne, I do it at home or work. sorry but as a professional i do not depend on free services to communicate. i dont depend on them as a traveller or tourist either.

as for any other country i visit, 3g can be arranged at the airport inexpensively, at least in laos, vietnam, cambodia, malaysia, philipines etc. strangely its more difficult in the US, Canada etc to arrange simple pay as you go communications.

as for connecting your laptop, anyone with a smartphone can create an access point for their laptop using the local 3g service.

[thaimat]

It's true that free wi-fi access is much harder to come by in Thailand than, for ex., Cambodia, which is as we all know much poorer than Thailand. 99% of "free wi-fi" in Thailand requires registering and/or paying for that service. This is one of the reasons I find Thais to be unusually stingy.

Two other places without good free wi-fi: Hong Kong and Japan; needless to say it's not about a country/place being able to afford giving away wi-fi, but whether TPTB in that place know that it takes money (investment) to make money, or would rather make pennies now and lose dollars later.

free wifi is moot where a country has decent 3/4g and reasonable data plans, which thailand does. i rarely avail myself of free wifi, why would i? my phone is generally faster.

Might be moot for your needs, but if trying to download anything of size, or watching Internet TV in HD, the dif between 3G and good wifi is quite huge. Plus, with wifi, you have no limits on how much you view or download, whereas on 3G you are limited by the amount you pay for in your plan. For tourists, wifi is the much better solution, no hassles about roaming charges, compatibility, etc, but perhaps more importantly, much faster speeds/bigger bandwidth. Additionally, most laptops can't use 3G, need wifi access. Look at any coffee house that offers free wifi, see how many laptops are open, how many phones in use. Compare that to a coffee house that has no wifi, and you'll see which people prefer. Are you an employee of The Thai govt? Because your statement certainly mirrors their view of wifi.

i use wifi in my home and office on routers that i control on connections that i have paid for, oddly if there is something that needs doing onlne, I do it at home or work. sorry but as a professional i do not depend on free services to communicate. i dont depend on them as a traveller or tourist either.

as for any other country i visit, 3g can be arranged at the airport inexpensively, at least in laos, vietnam, cambodia, malaysia, philipines etc. strangely its more difficult in the US, Canada etc to arrange simple pay as you go communications.

as for connecting your laptop, anyone with a smartphone can create an access point for their laptop using the local 3g service.

Yes, 3rd world traveling offers little in the way of wifi, so 3G is necessary. In developed countries, wifi is readily available in cities, more so every day, as cities and whole communities are offering free wifi. And yes, anyone with a smartphone can turn on their wifi hotspot, and drain batteries on two devices, whereas with wifi, only the laptop battery is taxed. But am happy for you, that you prefer to pay for slower speeds on 3G, than getting free, high bandwidth Internet access via wifi. To each their own I suppose.

Edited September 27, 2015 by thaimat

[jamiesilver]

LOL how convenient - Just before the BIG elections.,,. no anterior motives here then???