Facebook blocks Thai anti-monarchy group, vows to challenge order

Facebook on Tuesday blocked access within Thailand to a group that has criticized the country's king but said it was planning a legal challenge to the government's demand that it restrict access to the organization's page.

The move comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government and unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy, in a country that has experienced decades of protests punctuated by military coups.

Facebook said it would ask the court to decide on the legality and constitutionality of the government order relating to the group, but did not give details of a time-frame.

Demonstrators were calling for curbs to the monarchy's powers, as well as demands for the departure of former junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a new constitution and an end to the harassment of opposition activists.

Anger has further been fueled by accusations of corruption, the arrest of some student leaders over earlier protests and the economic fallout from the coronavirus epidemic.

Some student groups have also presented 10 reforms they seek to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, including curbing his powers over the constitution, the royal fortune and the armed forces.

Original article
Author: Nbcnews

Go to NBCNews.com for breaking news, videos, and the latest top stories in world news, business, politics, health and pop culture.

Nbcnews has recently written 9 articles on similar topics including :
  1. "The social media giant argues that new rules altering the financial arrangement between publishers and online platforms could make it impossible to share news content". (September 1, 2020)
  2. "Facebook said the website is run by people affiliated with the Internet Research Agency, which inflamed political tensions in the 2016 election through social media". (September 1, 2020)
  3. "Facebook has continued to roll out new measures and policies as the U.S. election nears". (September 22, 2020)
  4. "The company also said it would temporarily stop allowing all political ads on its services after polls close Nov. 3". (October 7, 2020)
  5. "The House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust has released Tuesday its findings and recommendations on how to reform laws to fit the digital age". (October 6, 2020)
  6. "Facebook will stop recommending political groups permanently". (January 28, 2021)
  7. "Much of the Russia-backed content is aimed at younger viewers and the political left, designed to peel them off from the Democratic party, experts say". (October 9, 2020)
  8. "The Oversight Board has the potential to revolutionize how we think about the relationship between private corporations and our public rights". (October 22, 2020)
  9. "The company is also making some changes to groups and will stop recommending health-focused communities". (September 17, 2020)
Posted on  , , ,