Digital Minister Chaiychanok Dismisses Meta's AI Detection Claims in Obscene Livestream Case
Thailand's Digital Minister rejected Meta's claims that AI couldn't detect obscene livestreams, saying the platform's explanation about image manipulation and account switching is implausible given content appeared within seconds. New regul
On May 25, 2569, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiychanok Chidchob held a press conference following a meeting with Clara Go, Director of Public Policy for Central Southeast Asia & ASEAN at Meta, and relevant government agencies regarding efforts to prevent and prosecute obscene livestreaming on social media. The minister stated that his ministry and associated agencies have been actively working on the issue since Saturday, with today's meeting serving as another round of discussions with platform representatives.
Chaiychanok announced plans to amend ministerial regulations to expand platform accountability. Previously, platforms had 24 hours to suspend illegal accounts and were not held responsible for content if they complied. Going forward, platforms will face joint liability if negligence is found. The regulations will be tailored to specific content types and will expand the horse account law to cover cases where platforms fail to exercise due care in preventing related violations.
Regarding Meta's actions, the minister noted that five accounts have been removed and content has been fed into the platform's AI system to detect and prevent similar content from spreading. However, Chaiychanok dismissed Meta's claim that AI could not detect the obscene livestream. The account allegedly used AI switching and image manipulation techniques—such as superimposing images of people sitting and conversing, or applying masks—to evade detection. The minister stated this explanation is unconvincing, saying it's implausible that an algorithm cannot detect content that appears within seconds.
"It doesn't make sense to say the algorithm couldn't detect content that appeared in just a few seconds," Chaiychanok remarked. "This shows Meta understands our seriousness. We will await concrete solutions from Meta at the global level."
When asked if Facebook cannot ultimately be held responsible, Chaiychanok acknowledged there are loopholes, specifically the 24-hour window provided for platforms to suspend accounts. However, he noted other criteria exist that could be used to prosecute the platform.
