Bangkok: Thailand's military-appointed legislature approved a bill tightening the country's already harsh Computer Crime Act, defying critics who said it infringes on the right to free expression.
The National Legislative Assembly voted 168 to 0 with four abstentions to approve amending the 2007 law.
Internet activists had campaigned against the amendment, which will allow the authorities to intercept private communications and block websites deemed harmful to national security without a court order.
Other provisions add specific criminal penalties for undermining national security and entering false information into systems.
The original law was passed to cope with a lack of regulation of the online world. Increasingly it has been used against critics of the government. Thai Internet service providers already block some websites with material such as pornography and criticism of the monarchy, and YouTube blocks some similar sites, but only in Thailand.
