From Troops to Trolls: Inside Thailand’s Information Operations (Wednesday,15 September 2021)

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SYNOPSIS

Activists around the world have reported rising levels of online attacks against their activities on social media in recent years. Many believe that government agencies, particularly in authoritarian states, are behind such attacks, often employing their own staff or contract outside firms to manipulate public opinion online. Such influence operations are often aimed at sowing discord in society, discrediting political opposition, and mobilising support for those in power. Research on state-backed information operations (SIOs), however, has long been fraught with speculation as empirical evidence of state-sponsored disinformation is extremely limiting. This talk is based on a new research made possible by Twitter's release of new data of state-backed disinformation campaigns in Thailand. It argues that Thailand's information operations in the Twittersphere is centred on the use of military personnel to perform influence campaigns against political opposition. They also actively promoted the work of the Thai Army to shore up public support for the institution and strengthen its political legitimacy. These findings provide critical insights as to how state-sponsored influence campaigns operate in Thailand and their implications on youth-led anti-government protests that erupted since 2020.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Aim Sinpeng is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations. Her research examines the relationship between digital media and political participation in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. She is the author of "Opposing Democracy in the Digital Age: the Yellow Shirts in Thailand" (University of Michigan Press, 2021) and co-editor of "From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media in Southeast Asia" (ISEAS, 2020). She is the Co-Founder of the Sydney Cyber Security Network and Thailand Coordinator of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. Aim was the first Australia-based researcher to be awarded a Facebook grant on content policy moderation for the project, Regulating Hate Speech in the Asia Pacific' and is completing a project for Australia's Department of Defence on combatting foreign interferences and disinformation campaigns.