Fear Change Much? Gov’t Blocks Change.org to Stop Petitions

The landing page when trying to access Change.org from Thailand on Oct. 16, 2020.

BANGKOK — The government ordered internet providers to block access to online petition site Change.org as of Friday.

Thai Netizen Network, a group monitoring internet censorship, said Thursday night that access to the petition website is banned through all three major service providers: AIS, Dtac, and True. 

Trying to reach Change.org will send most Internet users to a landing page that says the page has been suspended due to cybercrimes. The Thai Netizen Network says the IP address of the blocked page can be traced to TOT Public Company, or state-owned telecommunications.

Advertisement

Putchapong Nodthaisong, spokesman of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, said by phone that he was in a meeting at Parliament and unable to comment. 

Advertisement

During the ongoing pro-democracy protests over the past week, a Change.org petition regarding His Majesty the King Rama IX was widely circulated on Twitter, the contents of which cannot be reproduced here due to fear of the royal defamation law.

“There’s so much change happening, that they have to block Change?” tweeted writer Teepagorn Wuttipitayamongkol.