Thailand Passes Controversial Cyber-security Law

This act permits the National Cybersecurity Committee, led by Thailand’s military, “to summon individuals for questioning and enter private property without court orders in case of actual or anticipated ‘serious cyber threats.’” Another branch of the government can now search and seize data and hardware without a warrant if confronted with such a threat. Thailand also unanimously passed a second law, the Personal Data Protection Act, which regulates all companies that collect data on individuals in Thailand. According to the Associated Press, the laws will go into affect after they are approved by Thailand’s king. The cybersecurity law has been heavily criticized by both activists and businesses, with some opponents calling it “cyber martial law.” Jeff Paine, the managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition, said the law “would give the regime sweeping powers to monitor online traffic in the name of an emergency or as a preventive measure, potentially compromising private and corporate data.”]]>