The DES Ministry takes actions to combat the online pandemic
After Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra admitted on Wednesday that she almost fell prey to a telephone con using an AI cloned words impersonating a foreign party’s voice, the ministry of modern, economy, and society coordinated with neighboring nations to stop them from contacting her for a donation.
Ms Paetongtarn, who chaired the 5th Asean Digital Ministers ‘ Meeting ( ADGMIN), held on Thursday and Friday in Bangkok, placed emphasis on the importance of Asean acting in a concerted manner to fight against transnational online scams, said Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong, in his capacity as the digital economy and society minister, on Thursday.
The prime minister requested Mr. Prasert to handle the case where she almost fell prey to the hoax gang because the group did not utilize the Line application. It used an application for a foreign land.
The premier made it known on Wednesday that she had just been targeted by a caller who used AI voice cloning to pretend to be the leader of another nation. She was informed by the false state official that she had not yet received the desired contribution.
Ms. Paetongtarn urged Asian member countries to trade information and opinions on how the bloc may contribute more to the region’s digital economy during yesterday’s meeting.
Online scams are now a major threat to both individuals and the public’s trust in the online economy, which necessitates coordinated efforts to combat,” she said.
Ms. Paetongtarn even advocated for the creation of a robust mechanism within Asean to validate and regulate website content and ensure responsible use of AI, especially as the region continues to expand its use of the technology.
In June, Thailand did host a website called the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, according to her statement.
Prior to this ADGMIN, the government coordinated participation among Asean member states in order to start discussions about potential ways to expand cooperation in preventing online scams, according to Mr. Prasert.
Digital ministers and senior officials from Asean member countries and the republic’s speech partners are also attending the meeting, which also covers computer security, electric knowledge exchange, responses to hacking, utilisation of AI and equitable access to technology.
After discussing border security issues at the meeting, Thailand anticipates signing a new memorandum of understanding ( MoU) with Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia on border security cooperation, according to Mr. Prasert.
Given the extent of harm these schemes have caused, he said, virtual scams have become a significant issue for Thailand to deal with.
As such, the Anti Online Scam Operation Centre’s ( AOC ) committee structure does need to be improved to upgrade the centre’s importance, he said.
His government most recently suggested that the case consider enhancing the significance of the AOC by allowing Ms. Paetongtarn to be appointed and serve as the center’s chairperson, according to Mr. Prasert.
Meanwhile, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB ) is tracing the online scammer who attempted to scam the PM using a deepfake technology, Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiewphan, commissioner of the bureau, said yesterday.
According to Pol Lt. Gen. Trairong, the CCIB currently has reliable data that the con group was based in a neighboring nation.
He claimed that the commission has also contacted other organizations in search of more details about the crew.
When questioned if this scenario indicates that the leader’s personal data has been leaked to someone else, Pol Lt Gen Trairong said he thinks such information could be found online.
He declined to provide further details regarding how the crew might have obtained the prime minister’s phone range. He said that even his previous boss, who is a top crime-buster, has already fallen prey to a call center fraud group using AI words cloning systems.