Bangkok: The Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to prosecuting those involved in the personal data leak. Regarding the issue of personal data breaches, the Prime Minister reiterated today that the root cause will be investigated and those involved held accountable, along with an upgrade of data security across the entire government system.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, addressed the issue of the dissemination of personal images and information via social media. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed all relevant agencies to urgently investigate the facts and has established an internal investigation committee to determine the cause and those responsible. She emphasized that such incidents should not occur and should be used as an opportunity to upgrade the security standards of government data across the entire system. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society reported that initial investigations have not yet found evidence of a direct breach of government databases, and they have closed related access points. They are also accelerating digital forensic analysis to determine the cause and those involved. The National Cyber Security Council (NCSC) is also expediting the inspection and assessment of government information systems nationwide within 30 days.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thanarat Kuawattanaphan, a Thai expert in blockchain technology, software, and cybersecurity, presented data and evidence to Police Major General Siriwat Deepo, Commander of the Technology Crime Investigation Bureau 1, to address the issue of the government's personal data leak. He revealed that he had been consistently alerting relevant agencies, including the agency responsible for the leaked data, the Personal Data Protection Board, the National Cyber Security Council, and the committee of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, but after two months, there had been no progress, and the leak had become increasingly serious, even resulting in the leak of facial photographs. Therefore, he decided to post photos of high-ranking government officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society online to raise awareness among those affected and to request solutions. He initially identified three main sources of data leaks: the National Health Security Office a nd two private entities.
Regarding the initial discovery of the data leak, Mr. Thanarat stated that it began when he was working on the barcode system for election ballots. An anonymous individual using a fake Facebook account contacted him, claiming that voter registration lists were being sold in a Discord group. Upon joining the group, he found that a large amount of data from 20 government agencies and 3 large private companies were being sold. Mr. Thanarat also affirmed that his posts had no hidden political agenda.
Police Major General Siriwat Deepo, commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau 1, revealed that the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Department of Provincial Administration have filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police to prosecute those who illegally accessed the system, but have not yet identified any individuals. Therefore, the Cyber Crime Police have summoned Mr. Thanarat for questioning as a witness. No charges have been filed yet, as a thorough investigation is needed to determine how the data was leaked and how it was accessed. A working group will be established to investigate, and the owners of the user accounts that led to the data leak will be summoned for questioning to determine if they were involved or if they were hacked, before any legal action is taken.