Facebook bows to Thai censorship demands
Facebook has given in to demands from the government of Thailand to censor content that it deems unsuitable, gagging a number of individuals from discussing the royal family and the ongoing transition to a new king.
Thailand has long banned criticism of its royal family in the media and has now ratcheted up its stance on social media after journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall, sought to use the platform to propagate reports on the family.
Facebook is believed to have blocked at least one of his posts within Thailand, although it can still be viewed elsewhere in the world, in which photographs are shared of King Vajiralongkorn's ‘main mistress’ performing a semi-naked ritual.
Facebook has previously restricted access to 10 pieces of content in the country over the first half of 2016 alone, all of which are documented in its bi-annual privacy report.
Facebook has previously been ridiculed for over-zealous censorship, including blocking pictures of a 16th century statue of Neptune for being 'sexually explicit'.