ACT criticises Interior Ministry over removing contractor data

The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) condemned the Interior Ministry’s plan to remove information about companies listed as abandoned contractors on Tuesday.

This decision followed a directive from the ministry’s Department of Local Administration, which issued a letter to local administrations nationwide, instructing them to delete information about abandoned contractors from their websites in order to comply with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).According to the letter dated April 2, some contractors had requested the Comptroller General’s Department to remove their details from the publicly circulated lists of abandoned contractors. 

The lists contained sensitive information such as corporate registration numbers, names of managing directors or partners, addresses and national ID numbers, which could potentially be exploited by criminals for illegal purposes.

After consideration, the Department of Local Administration determined that, under the PDPA, local administrations should verify and delete personal data related to contractors listed as abandoned contractors and remove any withdrawn names from their websites.

“This action clearly signals an attempt to benefit wrongdoers and erase traces of failure, rather than revealing the truth to prevent future occurrences,” said ACT President Mana Nimitmongkol.

(2025/05/20-00:00)