The new digital economy and society (DE) minister plans to set up an anti-fake news centre to deal with messages with malicious intent or misleading information that may create panic, improving public understanding through correct information.
DE Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta was speaking on his first day in office on Thursday.
He said the centre aims to prevent the spread of false information in many fields, such as disaster warnings, weather forecasts, government policy or rumours.
Agencies will be allowed to provide correct information to the public in response to fake news.
He stressed there is no need to deal with every news item online, focusing instead on "news that would have an impact on security issues, such as natural disasters, or news that could spark public panic or sedition".
Mr Buddhipongse said there is no timeline for the centre to be established, nor have the agencies responsible for its operation been determined.
"The DE Ministry is on the verge of coordinating with other agencies about the formation of the centre," the minister said.
He said discussion with other agencies may need to include other technologies that could be used in the operation of the centre, such as artificial intelligence and devices.
Three core pillars
The three core pillars of digital economy policy spelled out by the minister cover digital for economy, digital for society and digital for security.
Mr Buddhipongse said forming an anti-fake news centre is part of his policy for digital security.
Regarding a digital economy, he said the ministry will continue pushing for policies, regulations and infrastructure that will benefit such an ecosystem.
This includes facilitating e-commerce and online business, and improving ancillary laws and regulations in line with digital economy related laws that have been in effect since the last government.
Mr Buddhipongse said a digital society means the government will focus more on ensuring people have easier access to digital services in daily life, such as creating a portal application that would collect popular mobile apps into a single channel.
He plans to continue working with other agencies on a single window policy to facilitate various services for people.
Under the scheme, one-stop service points operated by agencies will be established, such as that for the Customs Department.
Mr Buddhipongse said the ministry will accelerate its big data management system by connecting data and back office from all agencies into a centralised platform.