Senators Want DOD to Explain Web Limits

By Rick Maze
The Army Times
Monday 11 June 2007

A key Senate committee wants a full explanation by Sept. 1 about why Internet access has been limited for deployed troops, including to such popular Web sites as MySpace and YouTube.

The Senate Armed Services Committee did not, however, go so far as to order Internet access restored.

Instead, in its report on the 2008 defense authorization bill, the committee says it is concerned that the mid-May decision to prohibit troops from using U.S. government computers to access 13 Web sites hurt morale, even if defense officials ordered it to preserve bandwidth on military computer systems and to protect operational security.

The report was released Monday.

"The committee believes that access to the commercial Internet can promote strong morale among personnel in the field as well as family members on the home front," the report says.

"Those deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world, sometimes for more than a year, deserve every opportunity to connect with their friends and family on a frequent basis," the report continues. "Social networking web sites facilitate that communication for this generation, in the same way letters, phone calls, and telegrams did for previous ones."

The 13 barred sites are BlackPlanet, FileCabi, Hi5, IFilm, Live365, Metacafe, MTV, MySpace, Pandora, Photobucket, StupidVideos, YouTube and 1.fm.

The committee wants defense officials to give a "detailed description on the measurable effect that the use of these sites has had on operations and a detailed analysis of any bandwidth or security challenges that their use poses," the report says.

Additionally, senators ask for a description of circumstances in which Internet access of deployed personnel must be denied for operational security reasons.

By setting Sept. 1 as the date for the report, lawmakers have left enough time in the year's legislative session to order Internet access resorted if the military's answers are unconvincing.

Thailand has become totally lost in cyberspace

The nation: 18 June 2007

Thailand will soon be considered a country that has some of the world's toughest measures on Internet filtering.

By default or not, the pattern of the government's responses, since the coup last September, to information and video clips deemed offensive, including political views and comments, has been uneven and disastrous. This will have far-reaching implications.

As far as the Internet is concerned, the government has transformed Thailand into a repressive regime on a par with Burma, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Iran, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. As of last week, at least 50,000 sites were banned, including commentaries, anti-monarchy sites, anti-government sites and sexually explicit sites.

In the past six years, Internet usage in Thailand has increased many-fold. At the moment, at least 12 million regular users are facing heavy censorship by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MICT) and the Royal Thai Police. At the moment, in the absence of an Internet law, these authorities are the highest arbiters determining what sort of information and images Thais should have access to.

The Thai authorities lack the understanding and skill to respond to new communication mediums. Quite often websites are shut down because monitoring officials do not want to risk their careers if dubious Internet content goes unfiltered. Eventually, they end up blocking more online content than they should. These bureaucratic responses and this official mindset is akin to that demonstrated by officials handling requests for public disclosure of government information.

After a brief, three-year period of enthusiasm following the passage of the Access to Information Act in 1997, the number of disclosure requests has now dwindled to the point of insignificance, as the responsible authorities' preponderance to turn down requests has increased exponentially. Officials who wrongfully disclose government information would face higher fines and more severe jail terms than those who broke the law and refused to give out information.

The number of banned websites varies in Thailand. MICT minister Sithichai Pookaiyaudom said less than two dozen sites have been banned under his leadership. But informal statistics show a huge discrepancy in the number of banned sites and the authorities' claims.

The problem is that the Thai authorities do not classify in detail the criteria used for online censorship. Previously, three types of content were prohibited online: pornography, anti-monarchy sites and sites critical of former PM Thaksin's style of leadership. The majority of banned sites between 2001-2005 were related to pornography and anti-Thaksin websites. That much was clear. However, following the coup last year, any online political views and commentaries critical of the Council for National Security and its interim government have not been tolerated. Strange as it may seem, similar critical comment of the government in printed media has not been banned. Sad but true, online critics have now been perceived as conspirators in the public relations campaign carried on by Thaksin, who has money and a penchant for using all available new media.

That helps to explain the Thai authorities' hysterical attitude. The infamous incident on YouTube, which is currently banned in Thailand, was a good illustration of how the banning of a website had the immediate effect of further publicising the offending material. It immediately helped to create mirror sites around the world. Before the YouTube ban in early April, numerous video clips were placed on the popular video-share website praising the Thai king and commemorating his 60-year reign. Unofficial statistics showed that before the coup, only nine websites existed with information considered offensive to the Thai head of state. The most notorious was Manusaya.com, which was shut down last March. As of April, the Thai authorities have identified 19 more sites and blocked them. As everyone can see, the ban has the opposite effect.

Now, the new cyber crime law, officially known as the Computer-Related Crime Act, is waiting for royal approval before its enactment. On the surface, the law may give confidence to Internet users as it sets out rules and regulations that oversee the Internet. Service providers, who helped draft the law, have been pleased with the content.

However, Thai media experts are concerned that this law will do much damage to online and citizen journalism, as well as restrict overall freedom of expression. Some of the provisions would turn online journalists into criminals if certain content is considered to endanger "national security".

To top it all, Thailand already has one of the world's most conservative censorship systems, with at least 27 laws which are either anti-press or limit freedom of expression. For instance, the antiquated legislation known as the Film Act of 1930 is still being used every day by the Thai Censorship Board to determine what Thai people will see in the globalised world of the 21st century. Similarly, the 1941 Printing Act also has done great damage to press freedom and to restrict publishers and journalists.

There are rogue elements in the Thai bureaucracy and judiciary that still want to control the way the Thai people think and express themselves. They should realise that these archaic laws have greatly undermined the creativity and aspirations of Thais - and the consequences might be unfathomable.

Kavi Chongkittavorn

Govt to supply censorship software to schools

BangkokPOst: 15 June 2007
SIRIKUL BUNNAG

The Education Ministry will install software on computers at 35,000 schools across the country to block access to lewd websites.

Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn said ministry policy is to promote the creative and safe use of the internet in schools.

Under the policy, all secondary and primary schools with internet access must install software on their computers to block access to inappropriate websites.

Schools are required to include content regarding the constructive use of the internet in their curriculums to protect students from falling victim to lewd websites, said the minister.

The schools will be asked to hold activities or contests to encourage students to produce constructive media for computer and internet learning.

''Now rapes, murders and other crimes via the internet are rampant. The Education Ministry, as a major internet service provider for schools to get access to it, should have clear measures to protect children from online dangers. In the past, most schools mainly used the internet to search for information, create websites and send e-mail, but they failed to warn students against various forms of online dangers,'' said Mr Wijit.

Education permanent secretary Jaruayporn Thoranin cited a recent survey by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation which showed that there were around 8.4 million internet users in the country. Of the total users, around 50% were aged between 12 and 20.

Around 35,000 primary and secondary schools under the ministry have access to the internet, she said.

Government Information and Technology Services recently reported that many youngsters often used google.com, the most popular search engine, to get access to inappropriate websites several hundred thousand times a month. They searched for the words ''sex'' about 500,000 times a month, ''clandestine filming'' 400,000 times a month and camfrog 200,000 times a month. About 45% of young internet users visited pornographic websites.

Mrs Jaruayporn said over 1,000 schools have the Plawan Browser installed on their computers to block access to inappropriate websites. It is expected that all schools with internet access will have this software installed within one year.

The ministry has also opened another website at www.sema.go.th to promote creative and safe internet use, she said.

Activists call for cyber-freedom, say 50,000 sites shut

Activists call for cyber-freedom, say 50,000 sites shut

Free-Internet activists yesterday afternoon gathered in front of Bangkok's Panthip Plaza, the country's largest computer mall, to denounce the growing threat of Internet censorship that they claim now covers some 50,000 websites.

The dozen or so members of Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (Fact) also distributed CDs containing a programme to circumvent the authorities' suppression of websites and also a secret list of the 50,000 that have been blacked out.

The software will give access to any proxy site, said CJ Hinke, a leading member of the group.

"So we're distributing thousands of CDs before the cyberlaw is passed, making it illegal," he said.

Dozens of people came forward to take the free material as well as anti-censorship stickers as Sombat Boonngamanong, another Fact member, explained to curious bystanders what the fuss was all about.

"It is well known that these days the Information Communications and Technology Ministry spends most of its time blocking websites that express political views not to its liking. We all know what the political climate is, though it's the people who should decide what they ought to believe or not believe. People can think for themselves!

"It's natural in any society to have differing views, and cyberspace is a free space of the people. Yet they block sites such as saturdayvoice.com and PTV: does that mean this country doesn't need to have political discussion any more?"

Sombat condemned the ICT Ministry through loudspeakers, as some 50 listeners stood transfixed by the messages conveyed.

"It's good that they're talking about it so we know," said May, a university student who happened to drop by. She refused to give her full name or where she was studying for fear of state reprisals.

"They are blocking people's views. Sometimes information simply disappears," said a woman named Saifon, who works at Panthip.

Signs with slogans including "We Can Think for Ourselves!" and "Internet Does Not Belong to CNS" were held by protesters under the watchful eyes of Special Branch police.

"Denizens of the Internet must together try to free themselves from the lid of dictatorship. Take this software and install it so you can open your eyes and ears. What the ICT Ministry is doing is a violation of human rights, against the right to know, the right to communicate, which are basic rights.

"The banned sites are not a threat to national security but the security of the military junta, and [the ministry's] bureaucrats are now acting like ghosts in cyberspace blocking any site at whim, not adhering to any law or principle," Sombat said, adding that his experience was that in some cases the ICT Ministry simply denied doing it, even though his own cyber-investigation had proved otherwise.

Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation: 10 June 2007

Political website fights govt block

KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA & ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT
BangkokPost: 9 June 2007

The pro-Thaksin Saturday Voice Against Dictatorship group held a rally outside the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry yesterday, demanding the ministry unblock its website, www.saturdayvoice.com. The website was closed down on Thursday.

The group also called for the Manager newspaper website, www.manager.co.th, to be shut down.

It accused the Manager website of presenting information that spread confusion among the public.

ICT Ministry spokesman Visanu Mee-yu said the group still has other internet channels with several registered domain names.

Mr Visanu said the ministry closed down the group's website because it wanted to make sure that after the Constitution Tribunal's electoral fraud verdicts, the situation, particularly in cyberspace, would not get out of hand.

There were fears the saturday voice website, among others, would stir up ill feelings against the verdict.

Moreover, Mr Visanu said, its webmasters had failed to curb users who posted provocative messages.

The group's demonstration came amid rising discontent over the ministry's crackdown on political websites.

Media freedom advocates, spearheaded by the Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (Fact) group, have strongly criticised the website bans, saying they are a severe violation of the public's right to information and freedom of speech.

Earlier this week the Bangkok-based anti-censorship group released a report revealing what it claimed to be the ICT Ministry's ''secret blocklist'', which shows that up to 11,329 websites in Thailand had been blocked last month.

In January 2004, there were only 1,247 websites on the blocklist, according to the group.

The ministry previously relied on Thai ISPs to block sites at its ''request'' but has now changed tactics to block them directly at Thailand's four internet gateways: the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), the Telephone Organisation of Thailand (TOT), True Internet and Buddy Broadband, Fact said.

''The ministry is, in fact, engaged in deliberate deception of the Thai public and the manipulation of public opinion for political gain,'' said Fact's statement.

Internet censorship is in violation of international agreements. Freedom of expression is guaranteed as a basic human right under Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which Thailand is a signatory.

''Free speech is the cornerstone of democracy,'' Fact said.

The group will today hold a massive gathering at Pantip Plaza, the country's biggest computer and IT outlet, as part of its ''Free the Internet'' campaign.

Amnesty International also issued a statement last Wednesday supporting global efforts to stop violation of online freedom of expression.

The international human rights organisation highlighted increasing reports of internet filtering around the world, where governments block access to specific websites.

The agency cited the latest report on internet filtering which shows that at least 25 countries now apply state-mandated net filtering, including Thailand. Among the others on Amnesty's list were Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Burma, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Tunisia.