Legal Measures against Misinformation and Disinformation on the Internet

Abstract

The article titled “Legal Measures against Misinformation and Disinformation on the Internet” aims to study existing legal measures and the necessity for improving or developing new measures to address the issue of misinformation and disinformation proliferating. Given the vast and varied sources of false and misleading information circulating on the Internet, which can originate from both direct human creation and automated systems often designed to appear credible and difficult to distinguish from genuine information, this study underscores the urgency of effective legal responses. This study reveals that the current legal measures, such as the Computer Crime Act B.E. 2550 (2007) and its amendment to the Computer Crime Act B.E. 2560 (2017) but in Section 3 lack a clear definition of “Misinformation” and “Disinformation” while Section 14, which serves as a key provision outlining offenses related to the unlawful input of computer data into a computer system, remains ambiguous. This ambiguity results in interpretations heavily dependent on the discretion of officials, potentially leading to unfair enforcement that fails to comprehensively address the current issues. This study aims to comparatively analyze relevant laws addressing misinformation and disinformation in both Thailand and other countries, to establish a framework for appropriately updating and developing laws that align with the current conditions of Thai society and the international context. Therefore, it is essential to have appropriate and effective legal measures to control and manage false and misleading information on the internet to maintain the credibility and security of information, protect the rights and interests of internet users, and ensure that any actions