I don’t usually blog twice a day. But today, I make an exception. I got my newspapers this morning and I read this : Filtering Out Online Smut (by the Star Online). I will be reproducing the same article below as an insert, in case something happens to the link. Not many local bloggers are covering this yet, and I think I am the first.

I have nothing against filtering smut. I am, however, more concered about the freedom of speech. The most worrisome statement is actually this:

The MCSC has the capability to track down those producing or downloading pornography (Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis)

It is not so much the fact that the MCSC has the capability of tracking those producing or downloading pornography, but rather, the fact that concerns me is that MCSC has the capability of tracking. Why should we, the free citizens be tracked down like dogs by the Government?

With the ability to track down people, what makes the people so sure that the Government isn’t just tracking the downloading of porn? What if the Government is tracking people whom it thinks and labels as dissidents? (Ktemoc, Jeff Ooi, Lim Kit Siang, Raja Petra Kamaruddin comes to mind). Sure, some people like Jeff Ooi and Lim Kit Siang are public figures, and they are not so easy to take down. But what of people like Ktemoc? I have certainly enjoyed KTemoc’s analysis of situations (I think he’s better than Jeff), and most certainly, he hasn’t been very kind on the Government these days.

Another issue is the filtering. According to the Star:

Local telecommunication companies have been told to set up a filter system to block out online pornography by next year.

If the local telecommunication companies are allowed to filter websites, this could mean that at any given moment of time, the Malaysian Government can act to be very draconian, like China and Iran, and block out thousands of sites that it thinks threatens the Government’s continued existence. And once that is done, only sites praising the Governments will be allowed. Will my site be censored? Will yours be?

Some of you, might agree to the move that allowing the Government to filter pornography off the Internet is a good move. I can assure you it is not. Not that I like pornography online or anything, but this move is the first move in curtailing more and more of our civil rights. The civil rights of the Citizen.

Sure, there may be a lot of Moral Issues in such a case, but how do you trust the Government to be moral enough to just censor smut? Using Morality as justification for such an act is plain nonsense. You may argue that it will be good for the General Population. But how sure are you? A Patriot Act debate (it’s good for the country, at the price of lesser civil liberties) can happen, and I am not interested in repeating to death what has been debated.

On Moral Issues, the Government can also elect to censor sites that well, “show no morals”. But who determines morality? The Government? This is a democratic system. Not a patriachial system. So, who is to determine that sites don’t have morals, and need to be censored? Could it be your blog?

Let me ask you this question. Sure, the Government says that it’s only for online pornography. Sure, the Government had agreed not to censor the Internet. But what makes you think that they will hold out to this promise, based on the words alone? As with the recent fiascos happening with the Government (bumiputera equity scandal, PM telling the people not to test the Government’s patience), do you think they are still trustworthy?

Will the Government be responsible enough to just censor smut? It afterall, has been acting rather irresponsibly, letting some prominent people get away with the most racist remarks possible, while others who have criticized the racists were themselves labelled racists.

It’s rather tempting. The Government has been getting plenty of negative feedback nowadays, mainly on blogs. Blogs that prints out what the citizens are feeling. So what next? Registration of all bloggers and possible “dissidents”?

Is it wrong then, to suppress these voices of dissent, these voices of discontent?

Is it wrong then, to block out all discontentment and fool oneself into believing that this nation’s Government is one of strong support from its citizens?

Is it wrong then, to cover out all criticisms, and put on a hypocritical face?

And I am most concerned about this. If a Citizen’s civil liberties are curtailed in the virtual world, what about in the real world? Why does the Government want to control what the citizens view?

These are the questions I ask. And these are the questions that needs to be debated.

I have mostly been neutral on anything the Government acts on (except on National Service, which is a complete and bloody waste of time and money), but this time, I feel it is time for me to openly voice out. Do not get me wrong. I am perfectly fine with the censorship of pornographic material, but I am not fine with the idea that the Government has the ability and wishes to do so.

NO. I will not stand to any internet censorship. I don’t voice out much on local or foreign politics. But I do want to have a say. I will not stand to the fact that my Freedom of Speech is going to be compromised. I hold the Government to its word in 1998 that it will not censor the Internet, and I expect them to keep it.

Inserts (from the Star Online):

Filtering out online smut

KUALA LUMPUR: Local telecommunication companies have been told to set up a filter system to block out online pornography by next year.

Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said the non-profit system should be available nationwide to consumers soon.

He said he was informed that 3G handphones could be used to access online pornography.

He added that the newly-formed Malaysian Cyber Security Centre (MCSC) and local telcos have been directed to crack down on online pornography.

Dr Jamaluddin said the centre was expected to step up efforts to track down those producing and downloading pornography .

“The MCSC has the capability to track down those producing or downloading pornography.

“It is just that we need to aggressively pursue this. Effective enforcement with the cooperation of parents, cyber cafes and traders is needed,” he said at a press conference at the 57th Umno general assembly.

Dr Jamaluddin said the MCSC would also launch a campaign on using the Internet positively and educate parents and the private sector on how to fight online pornography.

“The prime culprits in the downloading of pornography are schoolchildren and undergraduates,” he noted.

Dr Jamaluddin also said that 1,020 cases of offences had been detected so far this year.

Of these, there were 562 cases of intrusion, followed by online fraud (255), malicious code (105), online harassment (52), hack threats (44) and denial of service attack (two).

Dr Jamaluddin added that the ministry had established a Knowledge Worker Development Institute to enhance the skills of workers employed in the Multimedia Super Corridor.

In closing, let me answer my own question - Are We Losing Our Freedom of Speech?

Yes we are on the edge of losing it. If we do nothing, and be idle, we only have ourselves to blame. Tell me what you think. I’d like to hear both sides of the coin

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