An Analysis of MICT’s Secret Blocklist
The complete, secret blocklists of Thailand’s “Official Censor of the Military Coup” are available to ISPs but not to the public at www.i-am-thai.com which redirects the page to http://cyberinspector.org/ict/modules/viewisp/login.php.
Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) tendered its information request before Ministry of Information and Communication Technology on February 9, 2007, under the provisions of Thailand’s Official Information Act precisely because of such government secrecy. Also of major public concern is by which Thai law does MICT block the Internet.
On March 8, MICT replied to FACT’s request by refusing to answer, citing as grounds issues of national security and law enforcement, two of the escape clauses in the Act. MICT did tell FACT what basis in law the censors use: martial law! Of course, they didn’t mention what law was used before the military coup on September 19, 2006. All MICT really supplied are prurient details of what Thai law courts have ruled to be pornographic.
FACT will submit its formal complaint before the Official Information Commission to force MICT into compliance with transparent and accountable government under the Thai Constitution.Although the actual number of websites blocked by MICT has decreased on March 12 to 10,885 sites, a reduction of nearly 20% from January 11’s blocklist, this does not herald less censorship in Thailand. 10,885 blocked websites in March is still a rise of over 400% from the October 2006 blocklist’s 2,475 sites.
...
Censors still busy: An Analysis of MICT's Secret Blocklist March 12, 2007 « FACT - Freedom Against Censorship Thailand
