Thailand: Issued press release on Ministry of Digital Economy and Society reporting 4,735 URLs shut down in the past 9 months

On 25 September 2022, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) reported that in the first nine months of 2022, the ministry blocked 4,735 illegal URLs under 183 court orders. In particular, these URLs included 1,816 for defaming the monarchy, 1,119 for violating good morals, 1,507 for online gambling, 218 for pornography, 58 for e-cigarettes, and 17 for overpriced lottery tickets. The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) or Cyber Police also reported that from 22 December 2020 to 31 August 2022, they handled 2,330 cases involving 2,981 suspects in categories such as online gambling, financial scams, Computer Crimes Act violations, online sales scams, and sexual exploitation. In addition, the government is expediting legislation to address offences such as 'money mule' accounts, with the Cabinet approving a draft amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Act to align with international standards. This amendment is under review by the Office of the Council of State.