Should 10,000 complaints over errors on the national health app Mor Prom, and an embarrassing leak of vehicle registration data — one that let loose information on the prime minister himself — be simply brushed off as technological hiccups?

In isolation, neither of the cases reported last week seemed to garner any special attention. Both have triggered the usual “urgent” investigations as well as assurances that any damage caused would only be limited.

Issues and lapses related to digital public systems occur in Thailand both regularly enough to appear mundane and infrequently enough that they do not seem to constitute a larger problem.

In aggregate, however, the image that emerges of Thailand’s digital solutions and data security is one that should cause concern.

Problems with the collection and protection of data handled by government applications surfaced almost as soon as the Thai administration began adopting online tools for wide usage.

In 2020, the Thai Chana application, conceived to help the country cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, drew criticism for collecting arguably unnecessary user data, bordering on infringing on citizens’ rights. The controversy was sufficient that the Digital Government Development Agency felt the need to respond.

Evolving from Thai Chana and Mor Chana, the Mor Prom application launched in 2021 faced impairments so severe that they impeded the national vaccination effort. Bottlenecks in the system would become problematic enough that its use was even suspended for a while in May of that year.

Then, in 2023, the personal data of 55 million citizens was reported leaked from a variety of state agencies, making global headlines as a major breach of privacy for the nation. After learning that the data was being sold openly on a website, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society had to seek a court order to block the portal.

Episodes of apps, platforms and websites faltering at inopportune times, data leaks and other problems have taken place regularly and encompass almost all the major digital tools employed by the government.

Apps now indispensable

Yet, year after year, the message from the state has been that these applications are a necessary component for the country’s future. So necessary are these pieces of software, they are taking the place of many in-person or paper-based public services and their use has all but become required.

This is happening despite protection of critical data still being lax enough that key cabinet ministers can end up having their car registrations released online and completely erroneous information being presented as patient data to hospitals.

The stakes are no longer trivial. Mor Prom alone serves tens of millions of users as the gateway to vaccination records and electronic health information.

Even if the current discrepancies ultimately prove to be data-entry errors at hospitals rather than failures of the application itself, more than 10,000 complaints should constitute some level of assessment not only of the programming but of Thailand’s digital transformation.

The episode at the Department of Land Transport (DLT) raises an even broader concern. The breaches were initially traced to computers at two state agencies and an army unit, all of which had their access to transport ministry databases suspended. An investigation subsequently cleared the computer users in question but found that their credentials had somehow been obtained to hack the DLT.

When access to central databases has to be suspended for multiple agencies following an apparent leak of personal information, reportedly affecting even senior political figures, the issue extends beyond one ministry. It points to weaknesses in access controls, inter-agency data governance and cybersecurity preparedness across government.

The adoption of modern digital solutions should not only be done so that Thailand can keep pace with the rest of the world, it should be done consciously to improve life in the country, and that means ensuring data integrity and protection.

This is not to say the government’s digital revolution has not delivered tangible benefits. Citizens can access services more conveniently than before, paperwork has been reduced and agencies can share information more efficiently.

However, digitisation cannot be measured only by the number of applications launched or users registered. Its success ultimately depends on trust and reliability.

That trust is earned through dependability, transparency and accountability. Every major system failure should be treated not merely as an isolated technical incident but as a call for vigilance across the board. Otherwise, Thailand risks building a digital government that is a threat to the public rather than an aid.