TCSD requests ‘threatening’ Line chatting app records

Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) has put in a request to the makers of the ultra-popular chatting up Line to see if conversations on the service “violate the law or threaten national security,” the Nation has reported.

Pol Maj Ge Pisit Pao-in said that TCSD officials would be sent to Japan, where Line’s parent corporation Naver Corp. is located, to seek information about suspicious users in Thailand.

Line has become popular amongst Thai youth as a way to discuss political issues that they might not feel comfortable sharing on Facebook or Twitter.

Upon being contacted by the Nation, Naver Corp. said it would respond to the issues raised by the TCSD today.

Pisit said that the TCSD is able to track Thai citizens’ chatting records, but that they had instead told Naver to “be ready to send a report on chat records when asked.” Right.

“We are not violating anybody’s rights, as the checking is being done overseas. So you can’t really attack me for this,” he added. Right.

“Nowadays people use smart phones like a mobile computer. They use it to take videos, upload information, transfer money and connect to social networks. Therefore, we have to investigate information being sent via smart phones as well,” Pisit added. “If I want, I can investigate all the information on smart phones. We can investigate all the crimes done via computer systems.”

Pisit came under fire from internet freedom groups last week after saying that people who simply “liked” or “shared” harmful messages on Facebook could be prosecuted by his office for violating Article 14 of the National Computer Act and Article 116 of the Criminal Law.

Speaking of Line, Bangkok police set up an account on the app last year to facilitate easier citizen crime reporting. 

 

 



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