Thailand's evolving Internet policies: the search for a balance between national security and the right to information

Abstract

This research investigated communication policy and its application to Thailand’s management of Internet resources ^ a battle between a national security ideology and a rationale for freedom of communication in the public’s interest. Three topics were explored: the use of regulations to control the public’s use of online media; the consequences of government’s strict control of the Internet; and communication policy theories that could help explain the genesis of Thailand’s online regulatory doctrines. Based on news reports on Internet censorship in Thailand, the findings revealed that the government policy increasing control over the public’s use of Internet resources was clearly evident in the Computer Crime Act and le`se majeste´ laws. During the phase of Internet’s initial development, laws and regulations were imposed to legitimize the government’s control over the new information technologies. Later it was found that the more widespread the Internet, the stricter the policy used to control it became. Lastly, heavy censorship of the Internet following the 2006 coup demonstrated again how political considerations could inhibit public channels of communication.