114 replies to this topic
Posted 2008-01-29 00:11:59
 Lilawadee, on 2008-01-28 23:26:26, said:
John K, on 2008-01-28 06:36:04, said: I don't know if you have noticed but the internet has been faster in Thailand. I was told by a tech the reason for that is the number of websites being blocked is way down from when Thaksin was in office. Every page request has to be checked to the blocked list. The longer the blocked list, the longer it takes.
Sigh..
First of all, the list of blocked sites was a couple thousand during Thaksin, mostly porn and stuff related to the Southern insurgency. Under the military junta, this went up to over 10,000 sites, many of which with political content critical of the coup. (And can find the link if you're interested).
Secondly, blocking sites does not make the internet slow. Deciding where to route a host request, or deciding not to route it at all does not make a difference. In any case routers decide this in split seconds; compared to regular network response time that's negligible. Find a better tech.
Please try finding that for me in a news clipping or other source information that talks about your number. I think you will find some clippings that say that number way multiple times higher that 10,000. This is old news and has already been discussed and put to bed in the past, so I know my information is accurate.
Also all access of the internet in Thailand comes through one access point. So please also find me a clipping or other source that verifies that information you are saying. Your credibility is staring to slip my friend.
Posted 2008-01-29 03:06:16
Lilawadee, on 2008-01-28 23:26:26, said: John K, on 2008-01-28 06:36:04, said: I don't know if you have noticed but the internet has been faster in Thailand. I was told by a tech the reason for that is the number of websites being blocked is way down from when Thaksin was in office. Every page request has to be checked to the blocked list. The longer the blocked list, the longer it takes.
Sigh..
First of all, the list of blocked sites was a couple thousand during Thaksin, mostly porn and stuff related to the Southern insurgency. Under the military junta, this went up to over 10,000 sites, many of which with political content critical of the coup. (And can find the link if you're interested).
Secondly, blocking sites does not make the internet slow. Deciding where to route a host request, or deciding not to route it at all does not make a difference. In any case routers decide this in split seconds; compared to regular network response time that's negligible. Find a better tech.
associates various sorts of information with so-called domain names; most importantly, it serves as the "phone book" for the Internet by translating human-readable computer hostnames, e.g. www.example.com, into the IP addresses, e.g. 208.77.188.166, that networking equipment needs to deliver information. It also stores other information such as the list of mail exchange servers that accept email for a given domain. In providing a worldwide keyword-based redirection service, the Domain Name System is an essential component of contemporary Internet use.
Wiki
Posted 2008-01-29 06:55:43
*double sigh*
The redeeming factor is that it's such an easy task to search and find information on Thaivisa.... saves tremendously on re-typing ...
sriracha john, on 2007-12-23 09:02:02, said: emperor_tud, on 2007-12-23 03:24:54, said: Kyosuken, on 2007-12-23 01:36:46, said: They've been living under a rock from the last 5 years or what ? Internet in Thailand is indeed censored and we didn't have to wait for the junta for that !
We did have to wait for the Junta to increase internet censorship in Thailand by some 440% however.
http://facthai.wordp...-2007/#comments
Interesting math on that link.... Not sure how they do it, but somehow their "45,000 blocked websites" is magically a number that is 440% greater than "800,000 blocked websites"  
Jai Dee, on 2006-01-14 10:29:08, said: PM SHUTS DOWN MORE THAN 800,000 OBSCENE WEBSITES
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said that more than 800,000 websites deemed "inappropriate," will be shut down.
Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 14 January 2006
Posted 2008-01-29 09:57:10
Tony Clifton, on 2008-01-29 04:06:16, said: People keep ranting about blocked sites when they should first learn about international bandwidth and DNS issues that have plagued Thailand`s internet system and annoyed users way back even under Thaksin`s rule and made tens of thousands of internet websites unreachable as time went by, from legit and reputed foreign newspapers, church groups, Japanese wrestling leagues to ginseng grower`s associations and leprechaun hunters. The problem was greatly exaggerated only to criticize the junta which ordered the blockage of much less sites than Thaksin`s cybercop. If you don`t believe it, go and ask the experts in Thaivisa`s own Internet, computers, communication, technology in Thailand Thaivisa itself was often unreachable because of DNS issues, not censored.
I always thought that the DNS problems (which I agree are widespread in Thailand) would only result in not being able to view a given page, whilst trying to access a censored site would instead get you a message from one of the relevant government agencies stating that you were being denied said access.
http://www.hrw.org/e...thaila15996.htm
I was also under the impression that, whilst the bulk of sites blocked by both the previous elected government and the junta were of the "obscene" nature (or anti-royalist), the junta had increased the banning of sites for political rather than moral reasons. I'm happy to be corrected of course if I was mistaken.
Personally I don't give a hoot about banning adult sites, but sites being blocked for political comment is a much darker development.
Posted 2008-01-29 10:10:17
[quote name='sriracha john' post='1788611' date='2008-01-29 06:55:43']*double sigh*
The redeeming factor is that it's such an easy task to search and find information on Thaivisa.... saves tremendously on re-typing ...
[quote name='sriracha john' post='1721679' date='2007-12-23 09:02:02'][quote name='emperor_tud' post='1721479' date='2007-12-23 03:24:54'][quote name='Kyosuken' post='1721410' date='2007-12-23 01:36:46']They've been living under a rock from the last 5 years or what ? Internet in Thailand is indeed censored and we didn't have to wait for the junta for that ![/quote]
We did have to wait for the Junta to increase internet censorship in Thailand by some 440% however.
[url="http://facthai.wordpress.com/2007/02/05/rsf-thailand-annual-report-2007/#comments"]http://facthai.wordpress.com/2007/02/05/rs...-2007/#comments[/url]
[/quote]
Interesting math on that link.... Not sure how they do it, but somehow their "45,000 blocked websites" is magically a number that is 440% greater than "800,000 blocked websites"
[quote name='Jai Dee' post='611589' date='2006-01-14 10:29:08'] PM SHUTS DOWN MORE THAN 800,000 OBSCENE WEBSITES
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said that more than 800,000 websites deemed "inappropriate," will be shut down.
Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 14 January 2006[/quote]
[/quote]
[/quote]
"triple sigh"
Your snippet to support your claim that Toxin shut down 800,000 websites only says that this is the number that "will be shut down". Don't forget that Toxin also said that a million cows would be distributed to farmers......I shouldn't have to remind you of all people that Toxin did not deliver on all that he predicted.
Chownah
P.S. I have no idea how many websites have been shut down by anyone.
Chownah
Posted 2008-01-29 11:08:44
*quadruple sigh*
In real-world experience, encountering the Thaksin government's cybercop-blocked logo was far more prevalent than with the Surayud's governments logo. None of either involved porn sites in this real-world experience.
Posted 2008-01-29 11:37:37
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhh... I thought I stated the bloomy obvious so no need to dig up the link, but, of course, it proves necessary.
Oh well.
-----
Length of the blocklist
The blocklist has also expanded from 1,247 websites in January 2004 to 11,329 in May 2007. The latest available MICT Excel file shows 17,775 sites blocked in total. A list of the sizes of the blocklists is included below:
* January 2004 - 1,247
* May 2006 - 2,328
* October 2006 - 2,475
* January 2007 - 13,435
* March 2007 - 10,885
* April 2007 - 11,239
* May 2007 - 11,329
-----
Source: http://wikileaks.org...hip_in_Thailand
A very interesting page, by the way.
Posted 2008-01-29 11:40:04
sriracha john, on 2008-01-29 06:08:44, said: In real-world experience, encountering the Thaksin government's cybercop-blocked logo was far more prevalent
I never actually came across that logo, (((EDIT)). Anyway, this is of course not the case as demonstrated by my link above. Also, the reason the censorship page doesn't come up anymore is because they tried to hide censorship by just not displaying anything and let things time out, so users think it's not censorship but a network issue or the site just doesn't exist anymore.
Edited by lopburi3, 2008-01-29 13:43:42.
flame removed - lopburi3
Posted 2008-01-29 11:42:50
Enough of the not-so-subtle flaming and petty bickering please... 
Back on-topic thank-you.
Posted 2008-01-29 12:05:44
So Thaksin was lying, or wrong, when he claimed to be shutting down access to 800,000 sights and sites ? 
My own personal experience was that more sites were denied, towards the end of Thaksin's regime, and became available again shortly after the coup.
More importantly - what will happen now & in future, under Samak/PPP. Will blocked-sites be switched to one of his cooking-videos ? Will he continue his obscene interactions with the media, and start a sex-advice show, for journalists ? ! 
One can only wish him well, as the new PM, and hope that he serves all the country, rather than one man overseas, now that he has achieved this high political office.
Also that he keeps his word on promises made - what else does a politician have to offer if not his integrity - to the minor parties in his coalition ?
And, bringing it back on-topic, Well Done to the Junta ! Who peacefully removed the man who was the cause of the problem, in the summer of 2006, before there was too much blood on-the-streets. Who then kept their words and ran a fairly-honest election, and have passed power over to the new elected government, on-schedule. When it might have been so tempting, but very wrong, to have just clung onto power, as Thaksin had before them.
Posted 2008-01-29 12:33:46
Lilawadee, on 2008-01-29 11:37:37, said: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhh... I thought I stated the bloomy obvious so no need to dig up the link, but, of course, it proves necessary.
Oh well.
-----
Source: http://wikileaks.org...hip_in_Thailand
A very interesting page, by the way.
Indeed it's very interesting... for the absurdity level is practically insurpassable...
From the provided link:
Quote Unless otherwise specified this document:
Is of substantial political, diplomatic or ethical significance.
Then once the list is opened, the reader learns that these are considered "substantial, political, diplomatic, or ethically significant list" of blocked sites:
danishgrannies.com
housewifebangers.com
boyonthenet.com
Edited by sriracha john, 2008-01-29 12:34:18.
Posted 2008-01-29 13:59:23
There was a Canadian guy who made a lot of noise about Internet sensorship by the junta, he was interviewed extensively and his number was mentioned many many times in the media.
On the close look it was a storm in a teacup, most sites, including newly blocked, would have been banned under any government, porn and anti-monarchy sites.
There WAS also a number of sites with political comments that were closed, very very few by comparison, I recon about two or three big ones, certainly not thousands - there aren't so many political sites to begin with.
Posted 2008-01-29 14:01:50
They show the full list, obviously. That's the purpose of the site.
While I object to ANY form of censorship simply because I prefer not to have the government sitting in between my computer and the content I want to access, I of course especially object to blocked content for political reasons.
Another very major issue is that the military junta made it a crime for people to bypass this blocking to seek the information they want to access.
Posted 2008-01-29 14:05:18
It wasn't the junta, the Cyber Crime Law was passed by NLA that had representatives from all sectors of Thai society.
You could say that they represented the chovinistic, close minded and backward sectors, but overall I think they were a close reflection of Thai society in general.
Posted 2008-01-30 11:23:12
Before the coup angelfire and several other free webhosting sites was banned, along with about half the servers for imageshack.us
After the coup they weren't banned anymore.
Most likely due to the ban list being cleared out and only the distributed one being implemented.
Which is an indication that previous bans, before the coup, was rampant but perhaps not 'nicely listed'. So any numbers you would come up with would be incorrect, since there seemed to be a complete lack of oversight. Or ability to object to a ban.
And again, this as before the coup.
|
|
