Thailand’s Creeping Digital Authoritarianism
Since the military coup of 2014, Thailand has developed one of the most sophisticated systems of digital surveillance in Southeast Asia.
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February 17, 2021
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January saw a Thai court hand down a record-breaking 43 and a half- year sentence to a Thai woman convicted of breaking the country’s infamous lese majeste law. The court based the conviction on audio clips that the woman had posted on Facebook and YouTube. The sentencing has, once again, drawn attention to the country’s lese majeste law. But it has also provoked much speculation concerning the state’s ability to monitor Thai netizens, an ability that has become greatly enhanced in recent years.