Government's plan to control internet

Malay Mail:

The Government’s warning to bloggers to stop rumour-mongering and spreading malicious gossip has caught the ears of the on-line community.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned that offenders could be detained and have their websites or blogs investigated.

He said that the freedom given had been abused, resulting in some people spreading lies.

We checked with some well-known bloggers for their take on the issue.

Most, however, agreed that 90 per cent of blogs are not malicious as they mainly deal with trivial issues, serving as a diary of sorts.

Most believe that only the remaining 10 per cent touch on sensitive issues, and whether intentionally malicious or not, are involved in spreading half-truths and gossip.

All the respondents felt that the Government should not cast aspersions or blame the community squarely because some blogs ran malicious comments.

They said blogs are media to express constructive opinions and other thoughts, in the name of freedom of speech. Here are their comments:

- Mack Zulkifli, 35, www.brandmalaysia.com:

"First, the authorities should investigate thoroughly before detaining the person running the blog or website.

"Once found guilty of the crime, only then can they act on it.

"But I don’t want to see a scenario where only certain bloggers will be investigated, because their opinions run contrary to the ‘official’ stand.

"I also hope the public as well as the authorities know the difference between blogs and other types of media. A blog is a medium to express a person’s thoughts and share it with other bloggers.

" It’s like a diary. Most bloggers speak about themselves and diary up their life. However, some abuse it for political or personal gain.

"Most of the time, there’ll be disagreements on certain topics among bloggers which is healthy, though. Bloggers should not fear action by the Government. I think as long as you know you’re telling the truth and not posting rumours or malicious comments to damage the other person’s reputation, you’re okay.

"I think disclosing your identity for the readers doesn’t necessarily enhance a blogger’s credibility. You can be anonymous for many reasons. Maybe you don’t want your employer or family to know about your stand on an issue. It’s the freedom you choose. If you are an anonymous blogger but still have your comments linked to other sources of information from the reliable mainstream media, you can still maintain credibility."

- Muzaffar Mustapa, 31, sultanmuzaffar.blogspot.com:

"The Government can take action but they must get those who are involved in making malicious comments.

"What Pak Lah said is important because, apart from having their views aired on topics, bloggers should also be more responsible when giving constructive criticism.

"When there’s a medium to voice their concerns, they should also have the responsibility to give the correct information.

"The freedom to blog should be used wisely and responsibly. Like everything else, there’re pros and cons to blogging. We can read and learn a lot of constructive comments and suggestions from it.

"The Government can closely monitor the content of blogs or websites but proper investigations should be made first before they detain someone. People shouldn’t generalise blogs as negative or malicious. It’s like pornography and the Internet. Just because web-based porn exists, it doesn’t automatically mean that the Net does more harm than good."

- Terrence Smith (aka TV Smith), in his 30s, www.mycen.com.my/duasen:

"It’s not practical. The Government can detain bloggers who publicly disclose their identities, but what about the anonymous ones? There are many bloggers who remain anonymous and have a tendency to come out with malicious comments. If the information or comments on the Internet or blogs are wrong, the Government should dispute it and come out with their side of the story. Detaining the owners is a little extreme.

"We should leave it to people to decide what’s good, what’s bad, what’s malicious and what’s not.

- Patrick Teoh, 58, actor/former radio deejay, patrickteoh.blogspot.com:

"I don’t agree with the Government’s plan to control the Internet. It should be a free medium to express views on something.

"The Internet should be treated as any other media. Give freedom to it."

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