Internet
Google 100% compliant with Thai censorship requests
In Thailand, Gardner reports, Google “chose to comply with each request made by Thai government censors” – in essence, 100 percent of their requests
As reported in Siam Voices this week, Google has released its 2012 Transparency Report, which chronicles requests that Google receives, mostly from governments, to block material online.
As Lisa Gardner notes on Siam Voices, “Google bucked international trends in 2011 by blocking access to hundreds of web pages at the behest of the Thai Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology [MICT].” One part of the report shows that Google has restricted or partly restricted at least 149 YouTube videos that the Thai government claimed was insulting to the monarchy.
You don’t like a website and you are an official in Thailand: just ask Google to take it down, no court order needed.
Unlike in many other countries, where Google supposedly makes its decisions to take down material after a local court issues an order (not that courts are infallible, but at least there is a court order), in Thailand it took down material even without court orders being issued, simply at the request of the authorities.
Overall, around the world last year, Google complied with about 54 percent of requests by governments and copyright holders to take down material. But in Thailand, Gardner reports, Google “chose to comply with each request made by Thai government censors” – in essence, 100 percent of their requests, which is a chilling number. Read More
Tech
How the Rural-Urban Divide Plays Out on Digital Platforms
It is one thing for entrepreneurs, whether urban or rural, to create and operate an online store, as some digital platforms have made it relatively easy to manage an e-store – even by using just a smartphone.
In the West, villages are emptying out due to the lack of economic opportunities. Consider Italy where, in a bid to attract newcomers, a handful of municipalities have turned to selling houses for €1.
(more…)
Ecommerce
Thailand’s internet economy to hit US$53 billion in 2025
New users in Southeast Asia are coming online at a blistering pace, adding 40M new Internet users this year alone compared to 100M between 2015 and 2019 and 70% of the region’s population is now online.
Southeast Asia’s Internet sectors continue to see strong growth, hitting $100 billion in 2020, and are on track to cross $300 billion by 2025 stated a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and business consultants Bain & Co.
(more…)
One-stop SME information portal connecting ASEAN businesses and beyond
The ASEAN Access is a flagship initiative of the ACCMSME, spearheaded by the OSMEP, Thailand and supported by the Federal...
Novo Nordisk certified as one of the Best Places to Work in Thailand
Novo Nordisk Thailand certified as one of the Best Places to Work. An exclusive interview with John Dawber, Vice President...
ASEAN and EU conclude the world’s first bloc-to-bloc Air Transport Agreement
The AE CATA is the world’s first bloc-to-bloc air transport agreement and will bolster connectivity and economic development among the...
Download 1xBet app and play all over the world
Whereas Singapore and The Philippines have lax gambling laws, Thailand has some of the strictest gambling laws in Southeast Asia....
Thailand confirms No Quarantine plan for Foreign Visitors under Phuket “Sandbox” Scheme
Phuket will be reopened to fully vaccinated international travellers without quarantine from 1 July, 2021, but ‘final’ official details are...