‘Bangkok Censored’ hackers face police complaints, jail, minister says
People who suspect their personal data was stolen by the operators of the website “9near.org” – subtitled “Bangkok Censored” – should file a police complaint because Thai authorities cannot shut down a website hosted outside the Kingdom, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry said on Friday.
The announcement followed reports that the website’s operators have been sending threatening SMS messages to people claiming they have hacked their personal information and will release it publicly.
The slapdash website, operated by a group called “9Near - Hactivist” says it has hacked the personal information of 55 million Thais. Hactivists are politically motivated hackers. The website includes a political statement: “Almost election, decide wisely”.
“If you think the leaked data is from your organisation, contact us before 5 April 4PM GMT+7,” it says. “Otherwise we then announce where it came from and how we hacked into, Also PUBLIC all the data,” it says in English.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said he contacted the website’s hosting service to have it shut for possible privacy violations but has yet to receive an answer.
The ministry is seeking a court order to block the website in Thailand for possibly violating the Computer Crime Act of 2017.
Initial investigations found that the information reportedly leaked did not contain sensitive data, such as medical records, Chaiwut said.
The database of the Department of Provincial Administration, which contains information on ID cards, has not been hacked, he said.
Information gathered by the website’s operators could have been hacked from agencies or companies that have substandard cyber-security systems, Chaiwut said, adding that those who may have hacked data could either sell it to a third party or threaten to release it publicly if they do not receive money.
Anyone who receives a threat from someone claiming to have hacked their personal data, or suspects that their data has been hacked, should file a police complaint, Chaiwut said.
About 20 people have already filed complaints related to the website, but no damage has been reported, he added.
Publicly releasing other people’s personal information is a criminal offense and can lead to five years in prison, according to the Computer Crime Act, Chaiwut said.
