ICT Ministry seeking access to internet users' emails and logins

[buksida]

APPARENTLY the Thai junta is attempting to take a page of out George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984’, as it is looking to pass several amendments to the Computer Crime Act (CCA) that would allow the state to act like Big Brother, overseeing activities on encrypted websites.

According to documents leaked by the Thai Netizen Network (TNN) on Thursday, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is proposing an amendment to Article 20 of the CCA, which would give the ministry the green light to access and censor encrypted content on websites.

One of the leaked documents mention giving authorities the power to “issue a regulation for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to delete or restrain the dissemination of computer data, in accordance with evolving technology”.

The documents also mention deleting or stopping the dissemination of data through the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, one of the most common encryption technologies in use today.

Many of the most widely-used websites and platforms, like Facebook and Gmail, utilize SSL, offering secure connections to users transferring sensitive information. But the amendments would allow the government to ban the use of the SSL protocol.

The changes would also force ISPs and social media users to comply with the government’s demands – at the cost of the public’s privacy and freedom of expression.

Besides allowing the government to intercept emails and collect login details, the amendments plan to criminalize any computer data which may breach other criminal laws, as well as content that could spark public disturbance.

More: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/05/ ... ls-logins/

[HHCanuck]

Wow that's opening Pandora's box on multinational companies and Thai banking. Who would want to operate here and take the risk of having their trade secrets and business deals at the hand of such a corrupt civil service. Maybe that's why the government is moving to a cashless society so they can tap into more accounts.

[oakdale160]

Guess we have to assume all Emails are being read and this post on HHF too.

[hhfarang]

Passports required to mail letters, internet posting and emails monitored... Getting more and more like North Korea there every day...

[hhinner]

I think EU companies operating here would have to find ways to circumvent this otherwise they could be found guilty of infringing European data protection laws. Private VPNs might become the order of the day and employees forbidden from using the open internet, perhaps even for private stuff. Anyway, is it even possible for ISPs to intercept SSP protocol without detection? Could they easily fake site certificates? If they were doing this, and found out,would foreign banks, for example, then refuse to do any business with customers in Thailand?

[caller]

It would certainly bother me using online banking. I wonder how international banks would deal with those in Thailand trying to access their accounts, as it's obviously a massive security risk.

Or am I being paranoid?

[RCer]

Anyone using the internet and actually believes their government, especially in "1st world" can't or doesn't look at what the users are doing or saying, is a fool.

[VincentD]

Local branch of international bank I use has sent me notification that all locally issued ATM cards and such with a magnetic strip will need to be changed to comply with the latest regulations so looks like I'm going to get hit with another renewal before time

[caller]

Anyone using the internet and actually believes their government, especially in "1st world" can't or doesn't look at what the users are doing or saying, is a fool.

But you know, of 60m+ Brits, I doubt they're really bothered about little ol' me. Really, I don't think I'm on there radar at all. They wouldn't waste the time and effort the legislation needs for them to look at my bank account and monitor my emails. I doubt there is anything in my emails that would be picked up as threatening even by random electronic searches, so I'm quite comfortable about that really.

But in Thailand, with everything that goes on here? Well, I certainly have an issue with encryption being affected and I would be bothered about what I post that would be harmless to anyone with a grasp of the English language, but could easily be misconstrued or twisted by those with fertile imaginations that don't.

To demonstrate how bad things are getting, the little things that creep up, that aren't really noticed, Asia Books has taken everything by Pira Sudham off the shelves and he hasn't written anything for years and even then only in English. That really is paranoia!