MICT’s claim of blocking 16,944 URLs stuns free speech advocate

On July 27, Danny O'Brien, International Coordinator of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), expressed his astonishment at learning that the Minister of Information and Communications Technology had revealed that the ministry had already dealt with 16,944 URLs with improper content.

In his view, it is peculiar for the ICT Minister to come out and claim such an achievement, because it is like a Minister of Transport bragging about how many roads the government has closed, instead of how many the government has built to benefit the public.

Out of the 16,944 URLs, 11,000 concern national security, 5,872 have content which is socially and culturally inappropriate, and 72 have content affecting the economy.

Source:

http://www.prachatai.com/journal/2009/07/25231

...it is peculiar for the ICT

Submitted by John Francis Lee (not verified) on Wed, 29/07/2009 - 06:14.

...it is peculiar for the ICT Minister to come out and claim such an achievement, because it is like a Minister of Transport bragging about how many roads the government has closed, instead of how many the government has built to benefit the public...

A very apt description of the upside-down view of government's function held by the repressive government here in Thailand.

The amazing thing is that this upside-down view, which in fact encompasses all of the government's interactions with the people, is accepted as valid by the ruling caste in BKK.

I bet the IT minister is an

Submitted by trep (not verified) on Wed, 29/07/2009 - 08:41.

I bet the IT minister is an elected MP and so has people's mandate as well. Or at least was appointed by an elected MP (currently Abhisit).

I don't remember it off the top of my head, but I think the minister in question comes from coalition partners quota, as usual, and so would have been there regardless of who forms the government - Democrats or PTP.

None of the parties has any policies regarding censorship anyway, people don't care about it, so it's going to stay.

Welcome to the wonderful world of democracy, it gives you a chance to blame your favourite enemies for people's own failings.

Trep, thank you for

Submitted by คนญี่ปุ่น (not verified) on Wed, 29/07/2009 - 09:14.

Trep, thank you for contributing balanced views (for me) to here. But JFL's political view punishes all the existing political parties, or politicians including Thaksin. He is talking about the view of "people" in the future who are coming to the world to save this country. That's why his post takes on the tone of oracles.