Govt gets tough with Facebook over pages with 'dubious content'

[webfact]

Govt gets tough with Facebook over pages with 'dubious content'
By Jirapan Boonnoon,
Jittraporn Senwong
The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Thai authorities will summon representatives of social media giant Facebook if it fails by Tuesday morning to block access to 131 web pages that are deemed illegal, mainly due to content aimed at duping people.

 

The ultimatum by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCDS) came after Google and YouTube blocked hundreds of web pages and URLs that were deemed to feature “dubious” content.

 

Facebook was given until 10am on May 16 to block all 131 URLs that were deemed illegal, or else local representatives will be summoned to explain the company’s position.

 

Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the NBTC, said yesterday that if Facebook failed to heed the request, the authorities would summon them for discussion but he did not elaborate about any legal action.

 

He said Google and YouTube had deleted at least 469 web pages or URLs deemed illegal between last week and yesterday after relevant authorities and local Internet service providers (ISPs) sought to block more than 600 URLs with contested content. 

 

However, 131 web pages registered under Facebook accounts were not blocked even after local ISPs notified Facebook by email last week. 

 

If Facebook failed to comply with the request by authorities by the deadline, staff at the company’s Thailand office will be summoned to discuss the problem with authorities to ensure that Thai law and relevant court orders were abided by, Takorn said.

 

Authorities managed to secure a court warrant requiring 6,900 URLs be blocked due to content that was considered illegal. Of those URLs, about 600 were encoded and hosted by Google, YouTube and Facebook. Of the 309 URLs that it hosted, Facebook removed 178 but left 131.

 

“Google and YouTube have removed all the illegal URLs in their domains. But Facebook has not explained why these 131 URLs have not been removed,” Takorn said.

 

NBTC chairman ACM Thares Punsri said social media providers had not cooperated with authorities in dealing with web pages that were considered illegal. As a result, authorities have collaborated with local ISPs to block many pages, Thares said.

 

Last week, 11 local ISPs agreed to send an email to Facebook asking for the deletion of accounts or web pages that contained illegal content, but they did not receive a response from Facebook.

 

Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Army’s cybercrime security centre has found more than 800 online items deemed to insult the 

monarchy over the past seven months, from October last year to April.

 

Maj-General Rittee Intravudh, director of the Army Cyber Centre, said yesterday that of the 820 items found, 365 items were posted on Facebook, 450 on YouTube, and five on Twitter. He was speaking on the 16th anniversary of the founding of the so-called cyberwar centre.

 

Rittee said the centre, in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Technology Crime Suppression Division, and the Department of Special Investigation had taken action and made these items inaccessible.

 

He said 435 items were successfully blocked and 111 items were in the process of being blocked while 274 items were new posts. Last month alone, 120 new posts were found.

 

So far, the authorities have received good cooperation from concerned agencies to block the illegal websites following court orders to block around 6,000 websites, he said.

 

He predicted that the number of content deemed to insult the monarchy would soon be reduced. On Tuesday, Facebook said it would consider blocking illegal content in Thailand on a case-by-case basis after receiving relevant requests.

 

Asked by The Nation to react to the joint request by Thai ISPs to block the 309 URLs deemed illegal by Thai courts and authorities, a Facebook spokesperson replied that it would scrutinise the content and consider blocking them.

 

If Facebook determined that specific content violated local laws, “then we make it unavailable in the relevant country or territory and notify people who try to access it why it is restricted”, the spokesperson said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30314985

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-12

[z42]

Pathetic.. Made even worse that the "government" that is restricting people's access to view information DID come to power through the gun.

The immorality is shocking. It can't end well if they continue down this path. The mask has long since slipped regardless of what their spindoctors say .. Beyond embarrassing now

[darksidedog]

Another 131 people critical of the non elected Government are about to be silenced it would seem.

[BigBadGeordie]

Remove these Facebook posts NOW!

Well by next Tuesday then.

If you do not, prepare to face the cosequences......... we will........................call you in for a chat!

 

You have been warned!

[jaltsc]

"...131 web pages...due to content aimed at duping people."

 

That would target every political and religious site around the world. I think there are a lot more than 131 of those web pages on fb. 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2017 by jaltsc

[darksidedog]

If they are going to have all sites that dupe people taken down, does that mean they will have to remove their own web sites too?

[the guest]

Facebook should completely ignore their requests. The servers are mostly based outside of Thailand, and hence outside their jurisdiction. 

[YetAnother]

ever more government control; the slide continues

[Jonmarleesco]

'... web pages that are deemed illegal, mainly due to content aimed at duping people.' The Thai government's concern is touching, but it's highly doubtful people being duped is high on its list of priorities.

[Jonmarleesco]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

If they are going to have all sites that dupe people taken down, does that mean they will have to remove their own web sites too?

No. They're equally gullible.

[Moonmoon]

This country is becoming North Korea soon.

[CLW]

For this particular case, thumbs up for Facebook!
Would be interesting to escalate the whole situation.
Government shutting down the access to Facebook would cause some interesting outcomes I guess...

[Chip Allen]

Sick....Government needs to reconsider.

[dcnx]

"He said Google and YouTube had deleted at least 469 web pages or URLs deemed illegal between last week and yesterday after relevant authorities and local Internet service providers (ISPs) sought to block more than 600 URLs with contested content."

 

Well, that helps clear up the Google and Youtube mishap last week that everyone denied havi anything to do with.

[edwinchester]

Can't think of a easier way to get more people to look at a website than by trying to ban it.

[Hayduke]

Facebook should threaten to pull the plug. That would present a nightmare scenario of unimaginable horror and unspeakable misery that no government could possibly allow. Thailand needs Facebook far more than Facebook needs Thailand.

Edited May 12, 2017 by Hayduke

[beautifulthailand99]

Best thing for Thailand is for them to lose the damn thing. If they did it would be the right outcome for the wrong reason - but a good outcome nevertheless. Funny that this problem is only just occuring when Facesuck has been around for yonks - I

wonder why ?

Edited May 12, 2017 by beautifulthailand99

[stephen tracy]

Afraid of a Facebook post?  Weak.

[beautifulthailand99]

There's a technical term for it the Streisand Effect .....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect 

 

btw Thailand the rest of the world is having a right good laugh !

[jak2002003]

I hope they shut down Facebook here.  I hate seeing most of the population addicted to it... constantly taking selfies and posting them.. and photos of their food!!!  It's madness and making people very shallow at dumb.  The amount of time people spend on the site.. if they spent that time doing something constructing their lives would be much more meaningful and fulfilled. 

[stephen tracy]

The absence of the TV defenders of the junta crew are very conspicuous in the thread thus far.  I guess even they are unable to defend the indefensible on this one. 

[stephen tracy]

1 minute ago, jak2002003 said:

I hope they shut down Facebook here.  I hate seeing most of the population addicted to it... constantly taking selfies and posting them.. and photos of their food!!!  It's madness and making people very shallow at dumb.  The amount of time people spend on the site.. if they spent that time doing something constructing their lives would be much more meaningful and fulfilled. 

I don't use FB but a lot of people use FB for their businesses. 

[Lingba]

2 hours ago, Moonmoon said:

This country is becoming North Korea soon.

becoming????...or is?

[beautifulthailand99]

2 minutes ago, stephen tracy said:

I don't use FB but a lot of people use FB for their businesses. 

Crikey you're right if Facebook hold their ground and accept like it does toward China it can't exist in a totalitarian state then the effect will be quite profound in Thailand. If I was the junta now I would probably realise if they are to hold onto power and keep the peace then it might be time to let it go. There is another route though where they could deal with the problem and get popular at the same time and keep Facesuck. But that's not one for here.

[jak2002003]

Just now, Lingba said:

becoming????...or is?

No, North Korea is a very clean and well organized, well run country, with good public transport, low crime and violence in the general public, lots of beautiful nature and unspoiled countryside, laws that are followed and not ignored...etc....

 

Thailand has a long way to go to be like North Korea. 

[AGareth2]

Streisand effect

[U235]

2 hours ago, Moonmoon said:

This country is becoming North Korea soon.

Nope, North Korea has an elected government

Edited May 12, 2017 by U235

[beautifulthailand99]

1 minute ago, U235 said:

Nope, North Korea has an elected government

The clues in the title DPRK - it's not only democratic but for the people as well. As for Republic well let's not go there !

[MobileContent]

I think nothing will happen. The army can't block the whole country from Facebook because it would upset a lot of voices in this country from all type of life.  

[candide]

I even doubt that it will be effective from their point of view. My guess is that soon hundreds of new Web pages will be created and hundreds of vids uploaded on YouTube,  etc.....