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On September 30, a silent form of protest mounted against the military government. Unlike previous protests that often ended with dissidents being charged or sent to political re-education camps, the silent resistance remained anonymous. Launched by “hacktivists” who repeatedly refreshed the six official websites of the Thai government by hitting the F5 button, the so-called “Hit-F5” campaign was a form of civil disobedience against the government’s attempt to impose a “single gateway”, and caused the six sites to crash.A single gateway is one point connecting a country’s internet traffic to the rest of the world. The best illustration is the “Great Firewall of China”, which the communist government uses to control the flow of information, monitor political views and prevent citizens from accessing popular Western websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that refuse to cooperate with Communist Party censorship.Most free countries, and junta-controlled Thailand, use multiple gateways to enable a freer flow of digital information. Thailand currently has 17 gateways, with the government granting licences to private telecommunication companies such as AIS, True and DTAC, or state telecommunication agencies such as TOT. The country used a single gateway over a decade ago when the internet was in an early stage. The service then provided by the state was slow and the price relatively high given the lack of competition.Rumours about a single gateway have been surfacing since early this year, amid the military government’s tightening of censorship and rounding up of more political dissidents. But the rumours became substantiated when a cabinet meeting document was leaked to the public in September. The report showed that the government is indeed considering such a policy. The news drew criticism and resistance, especially among netizens and freedom of speech advocates.Politically the policy is the beginning of an Orwellian state, where the government controls personal expression. Leaving aside the political discussion, telecom experts fear the policy will spell doom for the digital economy – all the burgeoning online businesses that depend on fast, reliable and secure internet. After the crash of the six government websites, the government apparently backed off, saying authorities would not implement a single gateway.Supinya Klanarong, commissioner of the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), says it is not surprising to learn that the military government fancies a single gateway. She believes the policy is intended to enable the government to control and monitor information.“The NBTC was never informed or asked for consultation,” she said. “If we were, we would recommend the government drop the idea because it is not a good idea at all. The policy is counterproductive to the government’s plan to create a digital economy. It will undermine trade competition.”Ms Supinya was one of several experts speaking at the Foreign Correspon- dents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) on October 7 for the discussion “Thailand’s Single Digital Gateway”. Other speakers included Prinya Hom-anek, president and founder of ACIS, a leading information and security consultant firm in Thailand; Prasong Ruangsirikulchai, senior director of NTT Communications (Thailand) and executive director of the Telecommunications Association of Thailand (under Royal Patronage); and Yingcheep Atchanot, project managerElite+ 11Leaving a“side the political discussion, telecom experts fear the policy will spell doom for the digital economy that depends on fast, reliable andsecure int”ernet