Using VPN in Thailand

Is it illegal to use VPNs in Thailand does anyone, for anyone who doesn't know what on is, it is a internet connection in short which directs you to an internet server in a country/region of your choice, in order to view content of that relevant. I was watching a programme on the BBC recently and they say it is illegal to view iPlayer outside of the UK.

[Jack3]

I have used a VPN in Thailand for about a year now without any problem. I access and download content of the BBC programmes from their iPlayer website.

If your an expat the BBC can't sue you if you are not in the UK, if you are on holiday and using local wifi who's going to know its you???

[netrix]

i don't think so, i've never heard of a vpn being illegal (except maybe in Dubai).
with a US or UK ip address you're technically accessing the internet from that country,
not Thailand or wherever you happen to be. i travel a lot all over southeast asia,
australia, and north america and can highly recommend www.strongvpn.com (http://strongvpn.com/aff/scripts/click.php?a_aid=nunetrix&a_bid=5e96b67b).

it's not like a proxy, it's a secure connection, super high speed and private, and really affordable.

While we are on the subject of Internet connections and WiFi etc - and I have read through previous topics (before ppl jump on my head) - on the availability of Mobile Broadband in Thailand, but they all seem a bit out of date given that technology moves fast even in Thailand.

For the avoidance of doubt - Mobile Broadband I define as having an internet enabled SIM card which you can connect with, either by using your mobile phone as a modem and connecting/bluetoothing it to your laptop, or by the use of a USB dongle into which you insert your SIM. I have looked into the cost of a dongle in Thailand and it seems to be exorbitant compared to elsewhere.

My question is:

Would it be possible to use a UK dongle - simply by having your dongle "unlocked" if necessary, removing the UK Sim card and buying a data enabled Thai SIM card - thus avoiding paying high connection charges in some hotels or searching for free WiFi locations?

Any answers?

While we are on the subject of Internet connections and WiFi etc - and I have read through previous topics (before ppl jump on my head) - on the availability of Mobile Broadband in Thailand, but they all seem a bit out of date given that technology moves fast even in Thailand.

For the avoidance of doubt - Mobile Broadband I define as having an internet enabled SIM card which you can connect with, either by using your mobile phone as a modem and connecting/bluetoothing it to your laptop, or by the use of a USB dongle into which you insert your SIM. I have looked into the cost of a dongle in Thailand and it seems to be exorbitant compared to elsewhere.

My question is:

Would it be possible to use a UK dongle - simply by having your dongle "unlocked" if necessary, removing the UK Sim card and buying a data enabled Thai SIM card - thus avoiding paying high connection charges in some hotels or searching for free WiFi locations?

Any answers?

No. Because you are credited through your sim not your dongle..................... :lam:
(It would be a pleasure)

EH?

You are REMOVING the original SIM from the dongle, buying a pay as you go Thai SIM, and inserting it - to be topped up as necessary.

Explain why, IN MONEY TERMS, that would be a problem?

I concede it may not be technically possible (that's why I'm asking) but I can't see YOUR point at all.

:dontknow: :dontknow:

[Beachlover]

Should be possible. I've done it in other countries but not Thailand.

[allieb]

I use a VPN in Saudi otherwise I wouldn't be able to access this site, it's blocked. I also watch BBc live and ITV on my PC

Interesting subject here - the BBC's "Click" programme said that watching the BBC's iPlayer outside of the UK is illegal. They actually gave several instances. Lots of examples of people watching it in Iran etc. They said it was breaking the terms and conditions of iPlayer and said if you do watch it "expect a call from a man in a suit with a pair of plyers". That's all they said. How they would do that in in Thailand I don't know.

But I wonder how the Thailand's authorities view using a VPN?

... "expect a call from a man...with a pair of plyers"....

Is the BBC now advocating the use of Japanese POW torture techniques?

:dontknow:

I've no idea, I think it was just tongue and cheek to tell you the truth, I'm sure it was, as what can they do if you watching it in China for instance. But my question would be what would the relevant country do if you were using VPN. I suspect they would have a job on their hands as I suspect there are a lot of people using such facilitites.

I've no idea, I think it was just tongue and cheek to tell you the truth, I'm sure it was, as what can they do if you watching it in China for instance. But my question would be what would the relevant country do if you were using VPN. I suspect they would have a job on their hands as I suspect there are a lot of people using such facilitites.

I would suspect (and hope) they'd also have better things to do

:hello1:

[allieb]

I wonder how the Thailand's authorities view using a VPN?

Probably the same way they view prostitution

[Dboy]

"for anyone who doesn't know what on is, it is a internet connection in short which directs you to an internet server in a country/region of your choice, in order to view content of that relevant. I was watching a programme on the BBC recently and they say it is illegal to view iPlayer outside of the UK."

Just so everyone is aware, this is NOT the definition of a VPN. A VPN is an an encrypted connection that tunnels data between a source and a destination. OP is referring to a "secure proxy". A secure proxy is used (for instance by Chinese dissidents) to access sites that are generally blocked from the source country or for hiding the real source and destination IP addresses This "hiding" will only truly be effective if you trust the owner of the proxy (who should not be cooperating with police and who should not be keeping access logs). The end effect of a proxy is that you appear to be accessing one site, when you are in fact using that site to help you reach another site. You could use BOTH a VPN as well as a proxy together, but the remote network would have to be set up in such a way that it allows you to exit their network. There are many ways to set up these types of connections, depending on your budget and security needs. You could set this up yourself by putting a server in a colocation facility (you are in control of this server, so you can control the logs, access, everything), and then VPN-ing to this server and then out to somewhere else. Could also use a server like this for temporary file storage; for instance, you could encrypt any sensitive files you possess and then upload them to your colo'd server before taking a flight, so you are going through airport security with a clean system, and removing the need for USB memory devices. Back to proxies, a simple solution would be to use a service that has been created for this purpose, such as anonymizer.com. Everyone is responsible for his own operational security, and everyone should understand and use crypto in this new dark age. This has nothing to do with "breaking the law". Everyone has the right to be secure regardless of the opinions of a government. The tools can be used for good or ill much as with any technology.

Who the F**K needs Bill Gates.................

[jinks]

Don't you mean.....

In a world without fences ! Who needs Gates ?

[mahjongguy]

Thailand's current communication law forbids the use of proxy servers to circumvent the blocking of websites by Thai authorities.

So, it's okay for viewing a BBC site which is restricted to UK viewers; it's not okay for viewing porn or political material that is censored by the Thai government. In fact, some of the most popular anonymous proxy servers are themselves blocked from here.

[Dboy]

"In fact, some of the most popular anonymous proxy servers are themselves blocked from here."

You can also do a google search for "open proxies" or "open proxy list". These are servers that either accidentally or intentionally allow redirection. Chinese students/activists use this method, although they have also developed friendly relations with activists/hackers in the West now, so open proxies are not as important as they used to be. The IP addresses on these open proxy lists generally take awhile to show up for blocking by the "great firewalls" so they can allow you to fly under the radar for awhile. These proxies will only be working for a few days/weeks so you'll have to keep discovering new ones. Best only for encrypted data or non-sensitive use because you don't know who owns the proxy (data could be intercepted). I would NOT be signing in to online banking with this type of proxy.


"so too will the seemingly minor discovery out of an arcane branch of mathematics come to be the wire clippers which dismantle the barbed wire around intellectual property" ----from The Crypto-Anarchists Manifesto, 1988

[Hmmm]

One interpretation of the Computer Crimes Act is that anon proxies are illegal and VPNs are not ...
http://www.betanews.com/article/Thai-gr ... 1233863520 (http://www.betanews.com/article/Thai-group-encourages-use-of-VPNs-to-bypass-state-censorship/1233863520)

Computer Crimes Act:
http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/117

[pattinson]

I have used a VPN in Thailand for about a year now without any problem. I access and download content of the BBC programmes from their iPlayer website.

I am using Private Internet Access In Thailand since 6 months and no one track me and i am downloading torrent or BBC Programmes also