50,000 Defamation Cases May be Dropped in Thailand
All cases under the 2007 Computer Crimes Act may be inadmissible now
Approximately 50,000 defamation cases that were filed under the 2007 Computer Crimes Act may soon be dismissed according to the lead author of the revised Computer Crimes Act and a public prosecutor.
Since the Act was introduced, thousands of cases of online defamation were filed under Article 14(1) of the law which officials say can no longer be used in such lawsuits.
Under the article, “importing into a computer system forged computer data, partially or entirely, or false computer data in a manner that is likely to cause damage to an individual or the public” was a criminal offense and has been criticized by many for its “vague wording”.
What was meant as an anti-cyber scam law has been used as a tactic to fight against freedom of expression, penalizing many journalists, reporters, critics and human rights activists.
According to Khaosod English, “The Internet Law Reform Dialogue, or iLaw, says it’s been used arbitrarily against activists, whistleblowers and journalists in at least 43 cases to date.”
A lawyer in Thailand who helped author the revised Act said the amendments would restore the original intent of the law, which was to tackle cyber scams and phishing.
He stressed that “all cases that misused the Computer Crime Act to sue for defamation must be dismissed.”
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