The United States has expressed concern about a new version of Thailand’s emergency decree on technology crime, noting that it might impact digital platforms, according to Prasert Jantararuangtong, the Digital Economy and Society minister.
Speaking on Tuesday after receiving a letter from the US embassy about the draft, Mr Prasert said the concerns would not delay enforcement of the law.
The cabinet on Jan 28 approved a draft amendment of the decree, which requires banks and mobile operators to be jointly responsible for customer damage caused by technology crime if they fail to comply with certain requirements in the amended law.
The amended law also has rules for social media platforms and websites.
Mr Prasert said he realises several major digital platforms popular among Thais are based in the US and are used daily to browse for information, entertainment or e-commerce.
He said the ministry plans to call all parties affected by the decree for a meeting to create mutual understanding regarding the law.
“In addition to the US embassy, mobile operators and the Thai Bankers’ Association also expressed concerns about the amended law and want to see the final details of the draft,” said Mr Prasert.
The ministry has said it will not announce the final details of the draft before enforcement begins, in order to prevent lobbying during the drafting process.
The draft amendment is currently under review by the Council of State, the government’s legal advisory body.
Earlier the ministry said it expected the draft to be published in the Royal Gazette in February.
Once the new rules are enforced, they should help curb technology crimes and scams and reduce damage to the public, said Mr Prasert.
The minister said damage caused by online fraudsters has been reduced dramatically — from about 100 million baht a day to 33 million as of March 2 — since Thailand cut power and internet services to crime centres across the border in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
The draft amendment has 16 articles and five key points. The latter include joint responsibility between financial institutions, mobile service providers and social media platforms for damages that occur if the specified measures are not followed.
Moreover, it is the duty of telecom service providers to immediately suspend the use of SIM cards related to offences.
The amendment also expedites the refund process for victims and increases the power of officials to take action against platforms involved in such offences. In addition, the decree increases the penalty for the disclosure of personal data.
