After FB was forced by the Thai government to block access to a group critical of the country’s King, the company said it will legally challenge the demand. The situation has once again reflected on Facebook’s policies around authoritarian governments and showed what actions it might take in response.
In the middle of the ongoing protests in the nation, Facebook geo-blocked a group with more than a million members named Royalist Marketplace, after continuous demands by Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. In response, the group’s founder Pavin Chachvalpongpum accused Facebook of why they had to succumb to pressure from the military-led government.
“Our group is part of a democratization process, it is a space for freedom of expression,” he told Reuters. “By doing this, Facebook is cooperating with the authoritarian regime to obstruct democracy and cultivating authoritarianism in Thailand.”
After careful review, Facebook has determined that we are compelled to restrict access to content which the Thai government has deemed to be illegal. Requests like this are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves.
Facebook said it planned a legal challenge. “After careful review, Facebook has determined that we are compelled to restrict access to content which the Thai government has deemed to be illegal,” Facebook said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Requests like this are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves.”
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