Technology News
Stay updated on Thailand’s latest technology advancements, from AI and startups to gadgets and industry trends. Explore key innovations shaping the country’s digital landscape.
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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
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Personal Data Protection Act might be delayed to give businesses more time to prepare
The launch of Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act, set to go into effect in June, might be delayed to allow small and medium-sized more time to prepare for the new regulations. The new Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn says that if the public has negative views about the new legislation, then the ministry might discuss whether to defer…
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Government investigating loan-shark apps following complaints of online threats
The Thai government is looking into a number of loan-shark apps, following complaints of data theft and threats being made on social media. Customers accuse the apps of stealing their data and sending them threatening messages via Line, Facebook, and SMS. According to a Nation Thailand report, when a customer downloads one of the loan-shark apps, it embeds malware in…
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Lazada, Shopee go head to head in attracting more online shoppers
The Internet shopping websites of Lazada and Shopee are going head to head as they are competing for more online shoppers. The economic downturn has prompted more efforts to attract new shoppers just as the festive sales season is right around the bend. Thanida Suiwatana, chief business officer of Lazada Thailand, says the Covid-19 pandemic has spurred a new trend…
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Bangkok Bank customers can now withdraw cash from 7/11 stores
Bangkok Bank is now offering its customers the option to withdraw money at 7/11 convenience stores after teaming up with the retail giant. The move to allow customers greater access to transactional services is to help those in rural areas get cash quickly without needing to go to the actual bank. So far, 12,500 7/11 stores nationwide are offering the…
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Pornhub and other sites to remain blocked as they conflict with good morals for upstanding citizens
Pornhub and other adult websites are remaining blocked in Thailand as they “conflict with good morals for upstanding citizens.” The Thai Government says the websites encourage poor moral standpoints and can affect youth in a negative manner. Itthipol Khunplume, Acting Minister of Digital Economy and Society and current Minister of Culture said the decision that was made by the previous…
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Thailand’s broadband internet speed ranks #1
Thailand’s broadband internet speed is ranking number 1 after a speed test was conducted in December of last year. It’s ranking climbed 2 spots from the previous speed test out of 176 countries by the Speedtest Global Index, beating out the stiff competition. Singapore and Hong Kong are now at 2nd and 3rd place according to the test, which is…
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Mor Chana app – what you need to know
So what’s going on with the new Mor Chana app? As far as the Thai Government is concerned, it’s part of their fight to track and trace the Covid-19 virus during this current outbreak. More Chana is a contact tracing tool. In essence, the app will allow you to check in when you go to different locations around Thailand, enter…
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2021’s new normal – the digital Covid passport
Looking forward to travelling, shopping, going to the movies? Now that Covid-19 vaccines are beginning to be rolled out around the world, you may now need something in addition to the actual vaccine. Documentation… a vaccine passport. Documentation, including your current Covid status and vaccination details, will become 2021’s biggest challenge as governments, businesses, and world travel, try and re-establish…
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Green transport in Bangkok’s khlongs, and it’s free | VIDEO
You can still go on a completely free ride along the Khlong Phadung Krungkasem, that’s a canal that runs through some of Bangkok’s most historic areas. The Thai PM launched the new ‘green’ canal boat services at the end of November 2020. The service is operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Organisation. As a bit of background the canal ferry boats…
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Thai banks warn of cyber scams after surge in fraud
After a cyber scam surge involving Siam Commercial Bank earlier this month, police are warning the public of increased smartphone and call centre scams. Police say they are stepping up efforts to track down such criminals who have sent messages that ask for respondents to send their bank account information in an attempt to steal their money and identities. Since…
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US cybersecurity agency alleges Russian hacking campaign
A cyberattack, which was first identified when US government agencies were targeted, has also been aimed at cyber targets worldwide, raising fears about global computer security. Microsoft has already announced that it’s notified more than 40 large customers hit by the malware which allegedly originated from hackers linked to the Russian government. The malware has been allowing attackers unfettered access…
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China’s Moon probe successfully returns to Earth this morning | VIDEO
China’s Chang’e-5 mission has arrived safely back on Earth after a successful 3 week mission to the Moon, collecting rocks and soil from the surface, and then retuning. It’s the first time since the 1970s a space mission like this has been completed. China becomes only the 3rd country in the world to successfully collect rocks from the moon. The mission…
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Chinese probe heads back to Earth after spending 2 days on the Moon
A Chinese space probe, Chang’e 5, is now on its way back to earth after having flown to the Moon, landed, explored, collected soil samples and taken off again. It will bring the first lunar rock and soil samples back to Earth in over 4 decades. The probe is bringing a payload of some 2 kilograms of rocks back for…
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New Thailand Plus app for tourists will help officials track their whereabouts
A new app, named Thailand Plus, for tourists has been created to help officials track their whereabouts more precisely once they have arrived in Thailand. The app was developed by Sompote Arhunai, the CEO of the Energy Absolute Company, which also developed the “Mor Chana” application. Sompote says the app will send information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and…
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Hotel investment group launches world’s first “green” hotel fund
Destination Capital, a hotel investment group in Bangkok, has announced that it will launch the world’s first ever “green” hotel fund. The fund will acquire hotels and implement sustainability systems and procedures to promote long term environmental and financial sustainability in investments using the EDGE certification programme. EDGE, an online platform, is an innovation of the International Finance Corporation, which…
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Personal data of 13 million online users leaked in data breach
The Digital Economy and Society Minister is calling in the experts after revelations that a data breach means the personal data of over 13 million online users has been compromised. The details of the accounts have been found up for sale on an underground website, according to a Thai PBS World report. The news has sparked condemnation of Thailand’s cybersecurity.…
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Travellers to Thailand to wear “Smartband” tracking watch
Special Tourist Vias, 14 day quarantine, “plans”, “models” and endless red-tape. Now we’ve got the “smartband” to track foreigners when they visit Thailand. The so-called Smartband will have to be worn by any foreign travellers entering Thailand. The new wearable restriction for travellers to Thailand coincides with the Cabinet announcement this week to allow more foreign tourists and crew of…
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Schools advised to improve online learning in case of second Covid-19 outbreak
Thailand schools are told to get ready for a possible second wave of Covid-19 and prepare to for lockdown measures – just in case – to make sure all children have equal access to education. An economist warns that the education gap between rich children in urban areas and poor children in rural areas could widen if schools shut down…
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Digital Economy Ministry dismisses “fake news” that mobile phones cause cancer
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry says people shouldn’t fall for claims that leaving your mobile phone beside your head at night will result in cancer. The ministry is urging people not to believe that electromagnetic waves from the phone will cause brain cancer, adding that such a claim constitutes “fake news”, and saying citizens should refrain from sharing it…
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Royal Thai Police form new bureau to investigate cybercrime
The Royal Thai Police have formed a new organisation to investigate cyber-related crimes. Commissioner of the new Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, Kornchai Klaiklueng, says they will work with international counterparts, but officers need to train first before dealing with transnational cybercrime investigations. The bureau is short on staff and still needs to recruit more officers before it can begin operations, according…
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London to New York in under 4 hours – Will there ever be another Concorde?
We’d flown in propeller-powered planes, then jets. Supersonic was the next evolutionary step in flying people around the world as the 1960s came to a close. Now, 50 years after Concorde’s early flights, supersonic flight is again just another aviation pipe dream as we pack into our cheap ‘flying buses’ which are not much different from the first successful commercial jets…
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Thailand enters space race, air force satellite launched
Thailand has entered the space race. The Royal Thai Air Force launched its first satellite into space yesterday morning. The satellite will be used for general data collecting as well as for security purposes in efforts to prevent foreign countries from spying on Thailand. The nanosatellite, Napa-1, was launched at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. It was one…
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TikTok CEO quits amid pressure to sell
Kevin Mayer, the high flying CEO of TikTok, quit today under US pressure for the platform’s Chinese owner Bytedance to sell popular video app, which Washington says is a national security threat. In a letter to employees, Mayer said his decision to leave comes because the “political environment has sharply changed.” Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok as CEO…
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“Free-flow” tech to eliminate Bangkok’s toll gate barriers
Bangkok’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority is studying the implementation of Multi-Lane Free-Flow technology that will eliminate the need for gates at tollbooths and enable traffic to flow faster without the need to slow down or stop to pay toll fees. According to MRTA governor Surachet Laophulsuk: “The study is being carried out in parallel with the Department of Highways’ Free…
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10 new 5G towers going up in Nong Prue, Pattaya
The Nong Prue tambon, to the east of Pattaya City, will be the home of 10 new 5G WiFi “Smart Poles” . The installation starts this month. The announcements were made by the Nong Prue Mayor Mine Chiyanit and the team from United Technology Enterprise who are installing the new towers and technology. The Smart Pole set ups will be installed…
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Trump threatens US TikTok ban
Donald Trump said yesterday that he plans to sign an executive order – perhaps as soon as today – banning the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok from the US. Such a ban would mark the culmination of national security concerns over the safety of personal data handled by TikTok’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, which became 1 of only a handful of…
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Thai delivery app merger gets 3.5 billion baht boost
Homegrown Thai delivery app Line Man is merging with its longtime partner, online restaurant review platform Wongnai Media. Line Man has secured fresh capital investment worth US$110 million (3.5 billion baht) from BRV Capital Management to bolster the new entity. The merger marks the first time any member of the Japan-based Line Group has secured a financial investment of this…
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Facebook faux pas – auto translate goes rogue on message for King’s birthday
Anyone using their computers to translate Thai into English, or English to Thai, will know that the results are mixed, usually confusing, and sometimes hilarious. But Facebook has ended up scrambling to tone down the reaction to an auto-translate from posts about celebrations for His Majesty’s on the occasion of his birthday last Monday. The American social media tech company…
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Thailand Post introducing “smart” technology
Thailand Post says it is switching to “smart” mailboxes in an effort to make the state enterprise more hi-tech. The company says it’s working with the state-owned telecoms company CAT Telecom to produce the mailboxes that will use “Internet of Things” technology to detect when parcels are deposited. A report in Nation Thailand today explains that the boxes will be…
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iPhone 12 may not be sold with charger or headphones
If you looking to buy the latest iPhone, the iPhone 12, it may be good to know that you may be getting less than you bargained for. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who spoke to Apple blog 9to5Mac, Apple is looking to drop accessories such as iPhone charging cable, adaptor or headphones so it can sell its next-generation phone at a similar…
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