BANGKOK - Thailand's junta chief batted away criticism of a controversial cybersecurity law on Thursday , saying it would not be used to"tap phone calls".
Thais go to the polls on March 24 in an election that could see a junta-aligned government come to power, and with it more controls on freedom of expression. The Asia Internet Coalition, an industry association representing companies like Google and Facebook, warned the law was too broadly worded and could give the government sweeping powers to snoop on user data.
"When I talk about cybersecurity, don't get this confused with human rights," the gruff general said, adding that the law was meant to boost online business security."It's about the protection of businesses... because there could be huge fraud or illegal businesses."