Malaysia mulls plans to censor Internet porn

By EILEEN NG,Associated Press Writer AP - Saturday, August 8

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia may set up an Internet filter to censor pornography, a Cabinet minister said Friday, raising concerns among human rights and opposition groups that it may also be used to block dissent.

Information Minister Rais Yatim said he has instructed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to look at how this can be done as part of efforts to protect children from sexual predators.

"We will not allow the safety of our children to be compromised. We will find all means to ensure Malaysia is free from the culture of pornography," he told reporters.

The plan goes against a pledge to not censor the Internet made by the government when it launched a high-tech zone modeled on California's Silicon Valley in 1996.

Lim Kit Siang, a leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party and a blogger, said the proposal came as a surprise and that it could be expanded to curtail online dissent.

"Once the government starts on the filtering mechanism, there is no proper check and balance to ensure it is confined only to porn, not to dissent. There is a danger of a larger censorship regime," he said.

The Center for Independent Journalism also urged the government to abort the plan, which is widely seen as strengthening the government powers in controlling online content.

Anti-government blogs and news portal have played a key role in eroding support for the ruling coalition, particularly before its worst-ever performance in general elections last year.

Rais, however, said the proposed Internet filter would not be used to censor blogs. Many blogs are known to offer strong anti-government commentaries and present themselves as a substitute for mainstream media, which are largely controlled by political parties.

"There will be no filter for bloggers, but if they breach the law, they will answer for it in court," he said.

The government has previously accused bloggers of spreading lies and undermining public stability, with leaders calling for bloggers to be regulated.

Bloggers don't need official permission to publish. Malaysia has nevertheless briefly imprisoned at least two bloggers under a security law. One of them, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, was convicted of libeling lawmakers and ordered to pay huge damages earlier this year. He faces another charge for sedition but has been in hiding since April to avoid being arrested again.

Rais declined to confirm a report by the Malaysian Insider online news Web site that the information ministry was soliciting bids to help evaluate the feasibility of an Internet filter _ similar to China's aborted "Green Dam" software.

The Web site said a study on the proposed filter would be completed by December and handed to the National Security Council headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak for a final decision.

China recently postponed plans to install Internet-filtering software in personal computers sold in the country amid domestic and international opposition.

Chinese authorities said the software was needed to shield children from violent and obscene material online. But experts who examined it have warned Green Dam also would block material the government deemed politically unacceptable. Top U.S. officials have also said the filter would be a barrier to trade


Source : Yahoo News (Associated Press)