The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society says the government is not behind the recent blocking of Google and YouTube, as was insinuated by some news sources after the two popular sites were temporarily inaccessible.
Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society Somsak Kaosuwan refuted claims the government attempted to block access to YouTube and Google for political reasons. The rumor began after users of 3BB Internet Service were unable to log on to the sites.
The secretary explained that website closures require a court order and are enacted by the National Broadcast and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), which must request compliance by major site administrators such as Google, reported National News Bureau.
He revealed that the government’s relationship with Google has always been positive and the company has been accommodating to Thailand’s laws while sensitive to individual rights. He also asserted that the state has no reason to shut down a site such as Google, remarking that both the search engine and YouTube may have merely been experiencing technical difficulties.
On Saturday, users of 3BB nationwide could not access YouTube and all services of Google, including Gmail and Google Drive. Many expressed their anger on Pantip forum and the Facebook page for 3BB.
In a Sunday statement, the internet provider blamed Google for putting their system under maintainance.
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