Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society filed complaints against Facebook and Twitter at the police Technology Crime Suppression Division on Thursday for non-compliance with court orders to block illegal content under Thai law.
Minister of Digital Economy and Society Buddhipongse Punnakanta said that the companies had failed to comply with the 15-day deadline issued by courts to block illegal content. Facebook had blocked access to 215 of the 661 accounts, and Twitter had blocked four of 69 accounts that the ministry had requested to be taken down.
The targeted sites were banned because they contained illegal content related to online gambling, pornography, drugs or the monarchy. Thailand’s lese majeste law, which prohibits insulting the monarchy, is among the strictest in the world. The Computer Crime Act, which outlaws false information or information that affects national security has also been used to prosecute criticism of the royal family.
Police Col. Siriwat Deepor, deputy chief of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, who received the complaint said that the companies were liable to fines of 200,000 baht (USD $6,325) for each illegal post and an additional penalty of 5,000 baht (USD $158) for each day the accounts remain unblocked.