Information Systems for National
Security in Thailand: Ethical Issues
and Policy Implications
Krisana Kitiyadisai
Department of Public Administration
Faculty of Political Science
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand
krisana.k@chula.ac.th
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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US National Security Response to 9/11
Department of Homeland Security
-- combat terrorism
‘Security: to include all efforts to deter, detect,
prevent and impede terrorist attack; mitigate
casulties, damages and disruption; reduce alarms;
rapidly respond, repair and recover’
 Counterintelligent Field Activity  data mining
 TALON/CORNERSTONE database
-- intercepts emails, anti-war protesters,
activist websites, police database, etc.
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Intelligence Databases
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August 2007, TALON/CORNERSTONE terminated
FBI  GUARDIAN database
Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) in 2003
-- by May 07, watch list of 750,000 records
In May 2004, General Accounting Office reports:
-- 122 federal data-mining projects
-- NSA eavesdropping activity
-- over 50 databases
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Failures in Intelligent Community
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Government had no centralised intelligence DB
No sharing of intelligence among agencies
Lack of cooperation between FBI & CIA
Failures in colllection, analysis, assessment,
dissemination and follow-up actions.
(Hijackers were on the CIA’s watch list)
Bureaucracy and turf wars
CIA being highly politicised
Limitation of data mining high false positives
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Criticisms on Surveillance Databases
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Public outcry  National Security Authority
(NSA) secret records of phone calls
--Intrusion on privacy and liberty
Watch list  mostly inaccurate and full of
misidentifications.
Passengers screening system travel delay,
pervasive search, detention, distress, financial
costs, lost privacy and liberty, deportation.
Mission creeps: data used for other purposes
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Thai National Security Policy 2007-2011
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Maintain the stability of internal security
--political conflicts and upheavals
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Preventing new form of threats
--terrorism, international terrorism
--transnational crimes, espionage
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Government Databases
Ministry of Interior Population database
- Police databases of criminal records,
- Immigration, visa application records
- Border Patrol Police databases
- Special crime squad, economic crime
 Ministry of Labour  legal and illegal
foreign labour, immigrants, refugees
 Intelligence databases for national security
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Intelligence Community
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National Security Council
National Intelligence Agency
Armed Forces Security Center
Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Commerce,
and Finance
Royal Thai Police
Directorate of Intelligence (Army), Naval
Intelligence Dept, Air Forces Intelligence
Bank of Thailand
Office of Narcotics Control Board
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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National Security Council: NSC
National security policy
 Advisor to the PM and Cabinet
 Coordinator –intelligence community
 Monitoring, assessing performance
 Develop policies on transnational crime
 Develop strategy for crisis management
and national preparedness
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Intelligence Community Failures
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Insurgency and violent attacks in the southern
provinces of Thailand increased
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January 2004: military unit in Narativat robbed of
400 weapons, 4 soldiers killed
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By February 2007: 2,088 people killed
3,920 injured
10 bomb attacks in Bangkok on New Year’s Eve
2006 (3 killed, 43 injured)
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Intelligence Community Problems
NIA failed to act on intelligence of possible
attacks (PM pointed out in Parliament)
 Fail to detect a new generation of
insurgents
 Blacklist of suspected militants unreliable
 Turf wars among agencies, rivalry
 Mishandling of problems in the South
 Intelligence reports often misused to justify
previous decisions.
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Information Systems for National Security
The NSC information systems and
network administrative purposes
 Both manual and computer based systems
 No online sharing among agencies
 Lack budget and skilled personnel
 No overall strategy for integrating
intelligence information systems
 Structural and bureaucratic impediments
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Computer Crime Act
Enacted 16 June 2007
 Section 14  most controversial
“Enters information into a computer in such
a way that it will cause damages to the
security of the country or public order.”
“Enters information which is an offense of
national security or an offense related to
terrorism into the computer.”
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Internal Security Bill
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Set up Internal Security Operations Command to
handle ‘new form of threat’
Modeled on US Homeland Security
First draft was heavily attacked for the violation
of privacy rights and liberty enshrined in the
Constitution
Section 17 gives authority the power to take
control of electronic instruments for the
protection against danger to citizens’ lives,
bodies and properties.
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Ethical Issues and debate
Tradeoffs between ‘security’ and ‘privacy’
 narrow concept of security
 Violation of personal privacy leads to
diminishing liberty and against democratic
values (democratic deficit)
 Creating a surveillance state; Big Brother
 Challenge to ‘fear mongering’
terrorist attacks quite rare
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K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Policy Implications
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Question the whole paradigm of solving military
security problems with intelligence databases and
data mining.
Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths: the Middle Path
Apply Spiritual Computing/ happy technology
-- start/ stop -willing to open up, watch the fear
-- renunciation (letting go, relax) - prejudices
-- purification/ clarification (insights, space)
-- transformation/action (happy action)
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Four Noble Truths
Dukkha : there is suffering
 Samudaya : the origin of suffering
 Nirohha : the cessation of suffering
-- giving up, letting go, renouncing,
freeing oneself, detaching from
 Magga : the path leading to the cessation
of suffering the noble eightfold path
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(right understanding, intention, speech, action,
livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration)
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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Idealistic Buddhist security computing
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Data gathering and retention minimum
- with loving kindness, compassion
Analysis of data correct with integrity
- the five precepts
Use of data respect human rights
- the middle way, Noble Eightfold Path
Intelligence agencies relationship harmonious
- the Noble Eightfold Path
Intelligence databases enable right
understanding of the situation or problem areas
- Buddhist teachings
K. Kitiyadisai, APCAP 2007, 2-4 Nov. Bangkok
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