Why Thailand Should Worry About An Improved(?) Computer Crime Act

[webfact]

Why Thailand Should Worry About An Improved(?) Computer Crime Act

By Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter -

 

 

BANGKOK — For the past year, Wirada Saelim lived under a cloud of anxiety that she and her colleagues would be tried as criminals for doing journalism about a community poisoned by a gold mine.

 

On Wednesday the court dismissed the charges against them brought by the mine operator who had pressed charges not only under the usual defamation claim, but an unrelated law from a decade ago meant to fight cyber phishing and other online scammers.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2016/11/17/thailand-worry-improved-computer-crime-act/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2016-11-18

[Eligius]

Things are just going from bad to worse to worst  ....

 

I suspect many of us realise by now that this place, along with N.K., is just about the only place on earth that has basically banned Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - which, with astonishing prescience, exposes this kind of state for what it truly is.

 

'Freedom is slavery!'

'Ignorance is strength!'

 

Well done, Thailand! Go for it. You can truly be the hub of this one all right! Barely any competition in this sphere left in the entire enlightened world.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Eligius

[NongKhaiKid]

An improved computer crime act ?

Improved to benefit whom I wonder, no need to answer as it's rhetorical and I don't want members to get into trouble with pointedly accurate answers.

[z42]

There are 112 reasons I can think of off that bat that people should be incredibly worried about RE the computer crimes act. I believe that in its original form, it was designed as legislation that was targeting online scammers, data stealing, financial cyber crime and such.

It seems now it has been morphed into a godawful thing that can be interpreted in the most malevolent of ways for the purposes of criminalizing whistle blowers, and those who wish to bring to light a scandal so that it can become known (and hopefully tackled in the correct way).

The direction in which Thailand seems to be heading is frankly terrifying. Any person can get caught up in the horrible web of the justice system here (innocent, guilty or otherwise). Something needs to change, but I see nobody even on the periphery with the want, or will to actually enact a positive change.

[chrisinth]

2 hours ago, Eligius said:

Things are just going from bad to worse to worst  ....

 

I suspect many of us realise by now that this place, along with N.K., is just about the only place on earth that has basically banned Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - which, with astonishing prescience, exposes this kind of state for what it truly is.

 

'Freedom is slavery!'

'Ignorance is strength!'

 

Well done, Thailand! Go for it. You can truly be the hub of this one all right! Barely any competition in this sphere left in the entire enlightened world.

 

On the face of it, it seems like some decision makers have been reading banned books:

 

[aussieinthailand]

Amazzzzing Thailand is very awear of the CC laws and how they are being manipulated in atwisted into something that was not intended originaly.

Computer crimes laws in LOS have been hijacked by the elites and powerful into a weapon of silencing the people that would speak out agianst  injustice, where truth has no place as money can buy a verdict.

So much for the junta's "reform",   what a joke and an indictment on them, They have the power to stike down the law or have it refined so it can not be twisted in such a way as has been the case.

And the Junta /PM has said if you don't trust the law then get out,  WOW, concidering the laws are not applyied equally.

 

But hey, the good old star spangled US of awsomness has a long history of abuses of justice, such as it's "espionage act" to silence whistel blower's and those that would not be silenced.  ( no haveing a go at the Ameria but hey if the shoe fit's ) just say'in.

Oh and OZ has it's share of law's being misused as well.

[Eligius]

6 minutes ago, aussieinthailand said:

Amazzzzing Thailand is very awear of the CC laws and how they are being manipulated in atwisted into something that was not intended originaly.

Computer crimes laws in LOS have been hijacked by the elites and powerful into a weapon of silencing the people that would speak out agianst  injustice, where truth has no place as money can buy a verdict.

So much for the junta's "reform",   what a joke and an indictment on them, They have the power to stike down the law or have it refined so it can not be twisted in such a way as has been the case.

And the Junta /PM has said if you don't trust the law then get out,  WOW, concidering the laws are not applyied equally.

 

But hey, the good old star spangled US of awsomness has a long history of abuses of justice, such as it's "espionage act" to silence whistel blower's and those that would not be silenced.  ( no haveing a go at the Ameria but hey if the shoe fit's ) just say'in.

Oh and OZ has it's share of law's being misused as well.

Yes - Orwell's vision was not confined to England. But 'Orwellianism' is really in your face on a daily basis here. 'Ignorance is Strength' is surely the slogan and guiding motto of all Thai schools and universities!

Edited November 18, 2016 by Eligius

[useronthenet]

The notion that people living in Thailand are 'free', is just that, a notion !

[Eligius]

Just now, useronthenet said:

The notion that people living in Thailand are 'free', is just that, a notion !

Right. And the biggest joke of all is that we are told that the Thai word 'Thai' actually means 'free'.

Talk about having a laugh!

[JuanCarlos]

First thing to do is to start using Tor instead of chrome and Firefox...

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[yellowboat]

1 hour ago, JuanCarlos said:

First thing to do is to start using Tor instead of chrome and Firefox...

Sounds like a job to "ThaiTek" on Thai visa.  Would be a much more beneficial article than learning about the next iPhone or Windows virus. 

[JuanCarlos]

15 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Sounds like a job to "ThaiTek" on Thai visa.  Would be a much more beneficial article than learning about the next iPhone or Windows virus. 

But this article would then be a part of the "bad mentality" according to the dear leader...I think Thailand officialy made VPN and TOR illegals....

Edited November 18, 2016 by JuanCarlos

[JKfarang]

39 minutes ago, JuanCarlos said:

But this article would then be a part of the "bad mentality" according to the dear leader...I think Thailand officialy made VPN and TOR illegals....

 

Can anyone verify this (i.e. whether using a VPN in Thailand is now considered illegal)?   Being from  a "surveillance state" I've become somewhat paranoid (I hate to admit) and even have location tracking on my phone turned off.  Thanks.

[sirmud63]

9 minutes ago, JKfarang said:

 

Can anyone verify this (i.e. whether using a VPN in Thailand is now considered illegal)?   Being from  a "surveillance state" I've become somewhat paranoid (I hate to admit) and even have location tracking on my phone turned off.  Thanks.

yes , as far as i know VPNs are considered illegal here. but i know lots of people that use  them .

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, Eligius said:

Things are just going from bad to worse to worst  ....

 

I suspect many of us realise by now that this place, along with N.K., is just about the only place on earth that has basically banned Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - which, with astonishing prescience, exposes this kind of state for what it truly is.

 

'Freedom is slavery!'

'Ignorance is strength!'

 

Well done, Thailand! Go for it. You can truly be the hub of this one all right! Barely any competition in this sphere left in the entire enlightened world.

Praise the Lord I am glad I am checking out soon. I sometimes dream that I am a teenager all over again and I break out in a cold sweat. 

[candide]

All these limitations to free speech and protests, implemented by the Junta, leave much power for next governments to muzzle opposition. It confirms (if needed) that they have absolutely no intention to let any party opposed to them come to office, and be given the opportunity to use this power against Junta-friendly parties and organisations (i.e. Dems, PDRC, PAD or equivalent).

[Eligius]

27 minutes ago, candide said:

All these limitations to free speech and protests, implemented by the Junta, leave much power for next governments to muzzle opposition. It confirms (if needed) that they have absolutely no intention to let any party opposed to them come to office, and be given the opportunity to use this power against Junta-friendly parties and organisations (i.e. Dems, PDRC, PAD or equivalent).

Very good point. But 'next governments' will be of the junta's hue and nature - as they have stitched everything up that way. I can't see how this stranglehold over the Thai people can be broken - short of a revolution - which I am certainly not advocating.

[jollyhangmon]

13 hours ago, z42 said:

There are 112 reasons I can think of off that bat that people should be incredibly worried about RE the computer crimes act. I believe that in its original form, it was designed as legislation that was targeting online scammers, data stealing, financial cyber crime and such.

It seems now it has been morphed into a godawful thing that can be interpreted in the most malevolent of ways for the purposes of criminalizing whistle blowers, and those who wish to bring to light a scandal so that it can become known (and hopefully tackled in the correct way).

The direction in which Thailand seems to be heading is frankly terrifying. Any person can get caught up in the horrible web of the justice system here (innocent, guilty or otherwise). Something needs to change, but I see nobody even on the periphery with the want, or will to actually enact a positive change.

 

Second that, unfortunately ...

 

Perfect fit here:  Downpressor man - dubbed version