Thailand Orders Facebook To Censor Posts

Thai authorities have threatened Facebook with legal action if it does not take down all content critical of the country's monarchy. More than 130 examples of such posts have been sent to the social network for them to remove. Facebook has said that it does consider any requests from governments to block content if it is shown to break local law. In Thailand, the monarchy is extremely well-respected, and many laws exist to stop any public criticism of the family. Prosecutions have been made against people in the past for as little as simply 'liking' a defamatory post, or even anything deemed to be unflattering. The number of prosecutions in the country has risen sharply since 2006, around the time that a bizarre video was leaked online of the King and his wife celebrating his poodle's birthday, at the time when he was Prince Regent. Under the country's Article 112 law, anyone who "defames, insults or threatens” the monarchy will be sentenced to at least 15 years in jail. This has included a woman who replied to a political activist in an online chat with the words 'I see', which were seen to be defamatory in context.

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