Google was reacting to a claim by Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong that it would help the government scan sensitive posts during the mourning period for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In a statement to The Nation, Google said: “We have always had clear and consistent policies for removal requests from governments around the world. We have not changed those policies in Thailand.
“We rely on governments around the world to notify us of content that they believe is illegal through official processes, and will restrict it as appropriate after a thorough review. All of these requests are tracked and included in our Transparency Report.”
On Friday, Prajin said Google and video site YouTube would set up an ad-hoc team to work around the clock to monitor any posts considered offensive to the monarchy.
Ann Lavin, public policy and government affairs director at Google’s Southeast Asia and Greater China office, was invited to meet Prajin as the government sought advice on how to handle lese majeste issues from Google and YouTube posts.