Thailand backs down on threat to ban Facebook

The government of Thailand has backed down on a threat to ban Facebook if it did not block content deemed to be illegal in the country.

The ruling military junta last week said it would ban the U.S. social network if it did not disable Thailand-based users from being able to access a selection of 131 “illicit” posts, including content that violates lese majeste laws that prevent criticism of the royal family. The government set a deadline of 10:00 am on May 16 for the pages to be blocked, but TechCrunch has verified that the social network remains accessible in the country while Facebook has not censored the pages, according to media reports.
Facebook provided the following statement:

“When governments believe that something on the Internet violates their laws, they may contact companies like Facebook and ask us to restrict access to that content. When we receive such a request, it is scrutinized to determine if the specified content does indeed violate local laws. If we determine that it does, then we make it unavailable in the relevant country or territory and notify people who try to access it why it is restricted.”

A Thai court initially drew up a list of 309 web pages to be censored. A government spokesperson told the Bangkok Post that Facebook had removed 178 of them as of last week.
Facebook isn’t alone in being pushed to censor its pages. Google and YouTube deleted at least 469 web pages in response to recent government requests, according a report from The Nation. Google did not reply to a request for confirmation or comment.
While Thailand hasn’t enforced a ban on Facebook at this time, it did temporarily block the social network in May 2014, one week after the military seized control of the country via a coup. Speaking at the time, it claimed the issue was down to a glitch, however mobile operator DTAC later revealed that it had acted on an order to block the social network.
Facebook opened an office in Thailand in September 2015, and its audience measure tools suggest it has up to 45 million monthly users. That makes it the largest social network in the country by some margin. Rather than risk a public backlash from a full-out block, Thailand has instead pursued a policy of censoring specific pieces of content within the social network.
This year, it has geo-blocked articles that fall within the lese majeste law and it even making it illegal to exchange information with three prominent critics of the regime who are based overseas. Facebook’s own data shows that the firm restricted access to 50 pieces of content in Thailand during 2016.
In its most recent annual report, Freedom House, a U.S.-based think tank that monitors global web freedom, noted that Thailand’s internet and media are “not free.” The organization cited the jailing of citizens for interacting with Facebook posts and plans for a single national internet gateway to facilitate censorship among its key concerns.

$300 million lost in online scams as they reach record levels in Australia

A SURGE in scams targeting social media sites such as Facebook has seen a record number of rip-off reports to the national consumer watchdog, according to a report released today.

The unprecedented level of scam activity has prompted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to provide urgent advice to people to avoid becoming another con job victim.

Last year there were 200,000 scam reports made to the ACCC — costing victims almost $300 million in lost money — which was a 47 per cent hike on the 2015 figures, the ACCC said.

South Australians accounted for more than 13,000 reports worth around $4 million in losses.

ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said there had been a “sharp increase in scams taking place through social media sites’’.

“It can be really hard to tell who’s genuine and who’s fake these days,” she warned.

Ms Rickard said the majority of reports about scams via social media were taking place on Facebook.

“The ACCC is working with Facebook, as well as the major banks, MoneyGram, Paypal,

Western Union and Apple to better tackle scams and reduce the harm experienced by

consumers,” she said.

Among the most common social media scams reported to the ACCC’s Scamwatch involved dating and romance and fake traders.

Around 30 per cent of dating and romance scam victims reported were conducted via social media sites, most commonly on Facebook.

“Dating and romance scammers trick their victims into falling in love with them and then use

their victim’s trust to deceitfully take their money,” Ms Rickard said

“If someone you’ve met through social media but you’ve never met in person asks you for

money, your alarm bells should be ringing. Don’t ever wire transfer or send money to

someone you don’t know because you won’t see it again.”

More than 240 reports of dating and romance scams came from South Australian victims, of whom 68 lost money, 22 being conned out of more than $10,000 each, according to the ACCC report.

While investment scams accounted for the most losses last year, fake trader scams were also on the increase with victims often responding to online store advertisements on social media sites offering discounted products made by well-known brands, the report found.

Ms Rickard urged people to respond to “generous’’ sale offers by researching the company, check where the product is coming from, check the company’s website and try and find

any reviews about the business before making a purchase.

Social media scams are the theme of the annual ACCC Fraud Week beginning today.