DSI and PDPC Join Forces with Child Protection Network to Crack Down Organized crimes, "VIP Group" for Sharing, Buying, and Selling Pornographic Clips on Social Media

On Thursday, November 28, 2024, at 9:00 AM, Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Director General of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), assigned Mr. Kriengkrai Suebsumpan, DSI spokesperson, and Mr. Theeraniti Chanpravit, DSI Assistant Spokesperson, along with Mr. Khemachart Prakaihongmanee, Director of the Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, and Police Colonel Suraphong Plengkham, Director of the Inspection and Supervision Bureau of the Office of the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), to jointly hold a press conference on the news of the DSI and PDPC Join Forces with Child Protection Network to Crack Down Organized crimes involved in the production, distribution, and transmission of pornographic images and videos via websites and Telegram.

This case originated from November 27, 2024, Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Director General and Police Captain Wisanu Chimtrakool, Deputy Director General of the DSI, assigned Mr. Khemachart Prakaihongmanee, Director of the Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, Police Major Phanthip Temcharoen, Expert on Special Cases, and Mr. Eakkachai Phuangphornpitak, Head of Technology and Cyber Crime Division 2, to lead officers from the Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, Surveillance and Intelligence Division, and Bureau of Special Operations. In collaboration with the PDPC led by Police Colonel Suraphong Plengkham, Director of the Inspection and Supervision Bureau, and joining forces with LIFT International, Our Rescue Thailand, The Scientia Program, and ThaiHotline Foundation, they conducted operations in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, and Trang provinces to arrest offenders under warrant and search evidence from a criminal network involved in the production, distribution, and transmission of pornographic images and videos via websites and Telegram in Special Case No. 37/2567.

This operation stemmed from an investigation by the DSI's Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, which had been tracking a group of offenders operating through the website www.asianclip.xyz and a Telegram channel named "Asinclip." This group advertised and sold pornography, by inviting people to join their Telegram channel. They also used or disclosed sensitive personal information without consent to gain improper benefits for themselves or others. They deliberately informed paying members about the identities of individuals in the images and videos, their daily life, occupation, or educational institution. This constitutes an offense committed by a personal data controller under the Personal Data Protection Act, B.E. 2562 (2019), resulting in victims being harassed and humiliated. The Telegram groups were categorized by the type of obscene content, including pornographic clips, hidden camera footage in the toilet, upskirt recordings of people, Thai students, net idols, and celebrities, and VIP special rooms. They charged membership fees ranging from 300 to 1,000 baht per month, generating over 100,000 baht in revenue monthly. The investigation revealed over 20,000 members, with each group containing over 20,000 images and nearly 100,000 video clips across all groups. The operation teams 1, 2, and 3 from the Surveillance and Intelligence Division successfully arrested the group of offenders as follows:

In Kanchanaburi province, the operation team arrested Mr. Thatchaphon (surname withheld) at his residence under the warrant issued by the Criminal Court No. 5500/2567 dated November 14, 2024. He was apprehended in Tha Maka district. He was identified as the administrator of the website www.asianclip.xyz and the Telegram channel 'Asinclip,' involved in distributing pornographic content and acting as a personal data controller. He was charged with inputting into a computer system pornographic computer data and publishing or forwarding computer data knowing it to be pornographic computer data, in violation of the Computer-Related Crime Act, B.E. 2550 (2007) and its amendment, B.E. 2560 (2017). He were also charged with producing, possessing for commercial purposes, or distributing child pornography and unauthorized use of another person's electronic card in a manner likely to cause damage to others or the public, according to the Criminal Code.

In Ratchaburi province, the operation team arrested Mr. Songwut (surname withheld) at his residence under the warrant issued by the Criminal Court No. 5502/2567 in Ban Pong district. He was found to have provided his bank accounts for collecting membership fees from the website and Telegram groups. He faces charges under the Emergency Decree on Measures for the Prevention and Suppression of Technological Crimes, B.E. 2566 (2023) for allowing others to use his deposit account or electronic money account (known as a "mule account") and allowing others to use his deposit account or electronic money account without the intention of using it for himself or his related business.

In Trang province, the operation team arrested Mr. Thanakorn (surname withheld) at his residence under the warrant issued by the Criminal Court No. 5503/2567 in Mueang Trang district. He was identified as a creator of obscene content who deceived victims by persuading victims to engage in explicit acts, which he then recorded for distributing or selling the footage. He was charged with committing indecent acts against a person over 15 years of age while that person is in a condition of being unable to resist, according to the Criminal Code, possessing child pornography for the purpose of sexual exploitation for oneself or others, as per Section 287/1 paragraph one in conjunction with Section 1(17), for inducing, instigating, or encouraging a child under 18 years of age to perform or engage in pornographic acts for the purpose of obtaining compensation, according to the Child Protection Act, B.E. 2546 (2003).

 The DSI is proactively combating online pornography without waiting for victim complaints, starting with gathering information related to the damage, using technology to track down offenders, integrating cooperation with relevant agencies, and emphasizing the enforcement of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). The DSI aims to maintain social order and protect public rights. These actions align with the government's policy of delivering justice to victims without requiring them to file complaints, while also suspending bank accounts linked to criminal activity to prevent and protect the public from falling victim to such crimes.