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Exploring The Extent of Internet Censorship in Thailand

Whether you live in Thailand, visit their often, or even have a loved one who does, it is vital to understand the severity of the censorship laws that are carried out.

Internet, Censorship ,Thailand

Internet censorship is very common in different areas of the world. Thailand is just one of the countries that make headlines with its strict digital censorship. It is, however, pretty high on the list, making it a popular and necessary place to unblock sites with Thailand VPN.

How Censored Is Thailand, Really?

Thailand has been given an internet censorship rate of 6 out of 10, with 10 being the harshest. It was not always quite so stringent, though. Censorship in Thailand started simply as a way to block inappropriate and pornographic content as well as gambling sites. It was not until later that Thai citizens were banned from free speech.

The 1997 Constitution of Thailand guaranteed freedom of speech. However, after a military coup in 2006, that freedom was eradicated. Thai citizens have to be extra careful in things they say online. Sadly, that censorship continuously grows.

How Censorship Is Carried Out

If the Thai government finds issues with a website, it may be blocked by the Communications Authority of Thailand, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), or the Royal Thai Police. Sometimes, these blocks and bans come due to an official court order. Others occur a little differently.

The MICT does not order that these websites be blocked but requests that the nonprofit ISPs in Thailand block them. These nonprofits do not have to comply as there is no court order, but they suffer if they do not. They either lose bandwidth or their operating license. In short, they must either comply or face losing their business.

Stated Reasons for Censorship

Global Voices Advocacy (GVD) is a network comprised of activists and bloggers from around the world who fight against censorship. This group reported Thailand blocking at least 113,000 websites- as of 2010- stating reasons of national security and that about 500 more are added every single day.

Since the 2010 report, there have been several instances of mass blocking of websites. The question many ask is, “Why?”, and it’s a good one. Why does the Thai government feel that so many websites should be banned? The following are the most common reasons shared:

Pornographic Content and Gambling Sites

Pornography and gambling are expressly prohibited in Thailand, so it is no shock that these things were blocked. Websites that sell sex equipment have also been banned. Pornographic content makes up about 22 percent of the banned websites though gambling covers less than 1 percent.

National Security/Injury to Royalty

This is the biggest reason for the bans: The websites or posts pose some sort of insult, injury, or threat to either national security or the royal family.

Thailand is very loyal to its ruling king and absolutely forbids any speaking out or embarrassment to be brought to him or his family. Lese Majeste refers to a law that is actually common in many countries. However, the law seems to be stricter in Thailand than most other places that use it.

Lese majeste states that anything that threatens, defames, insults, or is in any way unflattering to the king, queen, regent, heir apparent, or previous monarchs is illegal. Lese majeste also prevents citizens from criticizing the military.

The law has been in existence since the early 1900s. Breaking it can land Thais in prison from three to 15 years. There was even a case in which the guilty party received 30 years.

Since 2014, 77 percent of the websites the Thai government has blocked was said to be due to content that was illegal. In that same time period, nearly 100 Thais have been jailed for supposedly breaking this law.

In truth, requesting loyalty and respect for the monarch is not really the issue here. The problem is that most people feel that the Thai government uses this law as an excuse to put an end to any potential opposition. Considering that it has not been the King but officials who have actually claimed insult to the King, it makes one question how, exactly, these things have been insulting.

What Exactly Does Thailand Block?

It would take quite some time to learn and list every single website and platform that Thailand has banned, but there are a few of specific interest:

Wikipedia

Like many other well-known beings, the King of Thailand had a Wikipedia page. Thai officials were not happy with the idea and had it banned. This is similar to the banning of books and movies that depict the king at all, including the well-known movie The King and I and the unofficial biography The King Never Smiles.

YouTube

YouTube has been blocked in Thailand several times, and it started even before the military seized power in

  • 2006- The Thai government stated that 20 videos were offensive and illegal, demanding that YouTube block them.
  • March 2007- YouTube was again blocked when the former Prime Minister was giving a speech on CNN. Though no official reason was given for this block, it is believed to have been due to the speech as the ban was lifted just a couple of days later.
  • April 2007- Less than a month later, Thailand blocked YouTube again due to what they felt was an insulting video toward the king. The ban stayed until August of that same year when YouTube agreed to block videos Thailand finds offensive.
  • September 2007- Almost immediately after lifting the ban, the Thai government decided to get a court order to block videos that pertained to the royal succession.

Facebook

Thai people have been thrown in jail for commenting on Facebook on things the Thai government did not approve of. Some people went to jail just for receiving something from someone else that the Thai government did not like.

While there are plenty of punishments that have been handed out, here are just two arrests of note: First, a man took a photo of the King walking his dog and posted it online. Also, a lady responded to a political post with the words “I see”.

These two actions led to arrests and prison terms, though they leave many people wondering exactly what was so insulting or offensive. There are even banners up around Thailand threatening jail time for the wrong likes and comments on social media.

According to the Thai government, more than 300 posts on Facebook were illegal according to the lese majeste laws and asked Facebook to delete all of these posts. Facebook did delete 178 of them, but that did not please the Thai officials.

In fact, they stated that if they found any illegal content in the remaining posts, they would block all 14.8 million Thai Facebook users. Facebook decided to comply. Additionally, there are more than 200 Thai people who are not allowed to post anything online at all, and that includes the former Prime Minister.

The Trouble With Censorship

What exactly is the problem with this censorship? Is it not justified for a country to ban certain things in order to protect its ruler and its way of life?

To answer those questions, one would need a complete understanding of why the censorship exists and what- exactly- is being gained from it. Unless you are the one controlling the censorship, it is impossible to fully understand the motive. Motive aside, though, there are some serious things to consider about censoring the internet.

If one is only seeing controlled information, it typically prevents them from getting the whole picture- and ignorance is not bliss. A person could be missing vital life-saving information. They could completely miss important events going on in the world. Necessary communication can be cut. And the oppression can do a lot of damage to one’s mental and emotional well being.

The internet is more than a luxury these days- it is basically a necessity. It is how one gets the news; keeps in touch with loved ones; educates themselves in different areas- including health- and much more.

Fear of tracking and monitoring

Censoring the internet so heavily is greatly affecting the lives of citizens and can actually affect the entire global economy. This is precisely why VPNs exist- to allow you to access the internet without so much fear of tracking and monitoring. VPNs are one of the best ways to gain access to blocked websites no matter if you are in Thailand or in another part of the world.

If you choose to regain access to the internet through the use of a VPN, you want to be sure that you choose a trustworthy one. Also one that has a reputation of being effective. Even more that has servers in Thailand (or any other country you visit), and does not log user activity. Some you might consider include:

  • NordVPN
  • CyberGhost
  • Surfshark
  • ExpressVPN

Whether you live in Thailand, visit their often, or even have a loved one who does, it is vital to understand the severity of the censorship laws that are carried out. Education is the first and wisest step in preventing any unintended mishaps. Ones that could land you in prison. Furthermore there are several groups that keep watch over digital censorship around the world. Groups that can help you stay up to date on any changes or new restrictions as they arise.

 

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Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue

Google

Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.

According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.

Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.

google

Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding

Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.

Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.

Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.

To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.

Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.

On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.

Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.

google

Pixa Bay

Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding

On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.

TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.

When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.

And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.

Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.

A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.

google

Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.

But today, it feels more like reality.

Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.

Could we remember Google in the same way that we remember Yahoo or Ask Jeeves in decades? These next few years could be significant.

SOURCE | CNN

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2024 | Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

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Washington — Trump Media,  The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear an appeal from social media platform X about a search warrant acquired by prosecutors in the election meddling case against former President Donald Trump.

The justices did not explain their rationale, and there were no recorded dissents.

The firm, which was known as Twitter before being purchased by billionaire Elon Musk, claims a nondisclosure order that prevented it from informing Trump about the warrant obtained by special counsel Jack Smith’s team violated its First Amendment rights.

The business also claims Trump should have had an opportunity to exercise executive privilege. If not reined in, the government may employ similar tactics to intercept additional privileged communications, their lawyers contended.

trump

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

Two neutral electronic privacy groups also joined in, urging the high court to hear the case on First Amendment grounds.

Prosecutors, however, claim that the corporation never shown that Trump utilized the account for official purposes, therefore executive privilege is not a problem. A lower court also determined that informing Trump could have compromised the current probe.

trump

Trump utilized his Twitter account in the weeks preceding up to his supporters’ attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to spread false assertions about the election, which prosecutors claim were intended to create doubt in the democratic process.

The indictment describes how Trump used his Twitter account to encourage his followers to travel to Washington on Jan. 6, pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification, and falsely claiming that the Capitol crowd, which battered police officers and destroyed glass, was peaceful.

musk trump

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

That case is now moving forward following the Supreme Court’s verdict in July, which granted Trump full immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president.

The warrant arrived at Twitter amid quick changes implemented by Musk, who bought the company in 2022 and has since cut off most of its workforce, including those dedicated to combating disinformation and hate speech.

He also welcomed back a vast list of previously banned users, including Trump, and endorsed him for the 2024 presidential election.

SOURCE | AP

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The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.

Supreme Court

(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.

The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.

Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.

This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.

In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.

The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.

This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.

The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.

In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.

According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.

Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.

The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.

For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.

Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.

As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.

As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.

The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.

SOURCE: AP

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Could Last-Minute Surprises Derail Kamala Harris’ Campaign? “Nostradamus” Explains the US Poll.

Scientists Awarded MicroRNA The Nobel Prize in Medicine.

US Inflation will Comfort a Fed Focused on Labor Markets.

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