SPACEBAR issued a statement affirming its commitment to journalistic duties, explaining that photographing election ballots and stub cards was not intended to breach voter confidentiality. They noted that the Election Commission's charges were excessive and reaffirmed their full support to protect their photographer.
On 27 February 2026, reporters noted that on 26 February at 23:50, SPACEBAR news agency released a statement regarding the Election Commission’s (EC) filing of criminal charges against one of their photographers for obstructing the election, inciting unrest, and disseminating false information related to photographing and decoding election ballots. The EC alleges that a group of individuals jointly photographed election ballots, ballot stubs, and attempted to decode QR and barcodes on both constituency and party-list ballots to link voter identities to their votes. This occurred during a re-vote at polling station 9, constituency 15, Khan Na Yao District, Bangkok, on 22 February 2026. Reports indicate six individuals were charged by the EC, including SPACEBAR personnel. This situation is considered highly sensitive as it concerns the credibility of the election process, voter confidentiality, and the application of security and criminal laws against public figures and media personnel.
The SPACEBAR photographer was working as a journalist, capturing images of voting, vote counting, individuals, and the atmosphere around the polling station, events of public interest. The photographer took pictures of both types of ballots: the party-list and constituency ballots. Before publishing, sensitive details on the ballot stubs—such as booklet numbers, ballot numbers, serial numbers, and the signatures of voters and polling officials—were obscured.
SPACEBAR affirmed respect for the justice process, support for honest elections, and citizens’ rights. They pledged full cooperation with authorities to ensure transparency of facts. Their work aimed to present the technical aspects of the election and vote counting systems and was not intended to violate voter confidentiality or undermine the election process.
"The charges are excessive and affect the freedom of public and media scrutiny, whose role is to maintain balance, not to take sides or undermine the process as alleged by the Election Commission," the statement said.
The SPACEBAR statement also noted that as the matter is under legal process, they reserve the right to withhold some details until the appropriate time to avoid affecting the relevant authorities’ consideration. They reaffirm their journalistic responsibility to present facts and be accountable to society, pledging to protect their photographer’s work fully. They urged society to consider all sides carefully and follow the facts through the justice process.