Academics have slammed the military's iron grip on cyberspace following the 2014 coup.
Surveillance and crackdown measures are creating a climate of fear and self-censorship, they argued.
Since last year's coup, the army has taken many steps to tackle content deemed sensitive or critical of the junta or the monarchy, said Chiang Mai University lecturer Tossapon Tassanakunlapan.
Mr Tossapon, who presented his research at a forum at Chulalongkorn University yesterday, argued that security teams are constantly monitoring Thai cyberspace and apply "search and destroy" tactics to remove content or prevent it from being read.
The arrests and summons of web page administrators or media personalities such as former Nation journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk or Fa Diew Kan magazine editor Thanapol Eawsakul shows the government's intention to suppress them, said Thammasat law professor Sawatree Suksri.
"The media are middlemen, sharing information. And the government wants to put a stop to that," said Mrs Sawatree, a member of the Nitirat (Enlightened Jurists) group.
Mr Tossapon said security forces will look for administrators of web pages, or content writers, before using all legal tools at their disposal, including orders from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the prime minister's special power under Section 44 of the interim charter to deal with them.
Their tactics also include intimidation, he said.
"You now have to think twice before expressing an opinion online," Mr Tossapon said, voicing concerns over several legal cases involving cyber content tried in military courts.
He said the increased use of the internet and social networks has created a new obstacle for the army as it attempts to control content in cyberspace.
The military has drawn lessons from the People's Democratic Reform Committee protests in 2013-2014, when a political minority was effective in bringing down the last government through the strategic use of online channels, he said.
Following the coup, the regime decided to apply a centralised command and control policy to rule over cyber space, he argued.
Early this year, the government pushed through a series of bills destined to enhance Thailand's digital economy which in fact enabled better control by the authorities.
The laws, to be considered by the National Legislative Assembly, have drawn strong criticism from rights activists.
These include the revised Cyber Crime Act, the new Cyber Security Act and a Data Protection Act -- which should protect users' information but instead promotes its very access by the authorities, Mr Tossapon said.
He argued the bills won't promote and stimulate a digital economy. The point of a digital economy is to promote internet use. He said internet users must feel comfortable to "pour their lives into cyberspace".
"Do Thais feel that way at the moment?" he asked. "Social networks are filled with jokes about fears of being arrested over sharing content."