The new Computer Crime Act amendment took effect Wednesday, 120 days after being published in the Royal Gazette.
The controversial new amendment, which met much opposition, will essentially give the government the power to access and censor online content, as suggested by a board of five men.
Those against the restrictive bill had objections to its vague wording and how that might further curb freedom of speech.
Despite the public outcry, the bill was passed by the National Legislative Assembly. Some of the contentious points in the law includes posting false information online that was not defamatory, reported The Nation.
READ: Coconuts in-depth feature on how the new computer crime amendment encourages censorship
Thai PBS reported that five additional laws related to the Computer Crime Act have already been written and that the public will be able to give their input on them at public hearings.
The five by-laws, related to big data and its collection, are expected to move forward toward becoming law July 23.
Officials have claimed that the Computer Crime Act amendment and big data collection won’t be used to spy on residents or invade their privacy but some netizens have expressed their doubts.
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