Creating a media policy for cyberspace

Creating a media policy for cyberspace

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta, vmahmud@yahoo.com

The Internet is an amazing cyberhighway of information. People
can access practically anything online, from the latest news to
e-mail greetings from loved ones. However, with the vast openness
and freewheeling nature of the World Wide Web come dubious sites
that may upset more then a few people.

There are countless numbers of questionable websites online,
ranging from pornography and gambling to the politically
subversive. This type of content has raised the concerns of
parents, corporations and governments, all for their own
individual reasons. Parents want to protect their children from
what they may regard as objectionable Internet sites,
corporations wish to make sure their image and reputation online
are not tarnished, and governments (or at least some of them)
would like to ensure that all news and information disseminated
to their people comes from state-approved sources.

The Internet ignores all that. National borders, business
concerns and parental guidance all go out of the window when it
comes to the 'Net. Anyone, anywhere, can easily put up their own
site, preaching their own gospel. So how can the world make sure
that the web can be a safe, transparent and trustworthy medium?
Who decides what is permitted and objectionable? And how can we
create a media policy for the Internet age?

These were some of the questions pondered during a workshop
sponsored by the Asia Europe Foundation (asef.org) in Singapore
recently. The foundation, whose purpose is to promote a better
understanding between the citizens of Asia and Europe, grappled
with this topic by inviting decision makers from governments, the
Internet industry, media and user communities throughout the
region.

According to Joseph Yap, public affairs executive of the Asia
Europe Foundation, his organization is keen on establishing a
process of converging thinkers and media policy makers to discuss
the issues and share their experiences. Thus, everyone can learn
from each other and avoid the pitfalls one country has faced.

One of the Indonesian participants, Rudy Rusdiah, chairman of
the Association of Community Internet Centers (apwkomitel.org),
said that one of the most pressing issues, in his opinion, was
the trade-off between censorship and freedom of speech. What
content is harmful and what illegal? What institution should be
responsible for such matters: industry, community or government,
or a combination of all three?

Rudy also pointed out that media policy in Indonesia was still
rather confusing. Topics, such as the broadcasting law and
regulation of frequency allocation, were considered by some to be
rather restrictive toward expansion of the Internet industry in
Indonesia. There were also questions about the regulation of game
centers and local Internet content.

Ambassador Delfin Colome, Executive Director of ASEF, said
that in the end it would be users who would decide what content
should appear on their computers. "It's a matter of balancing
liberty with responsibility," he said.

As such, the roundtable discussion reviewed topics such as
user-based, web-filtering systems, voluntary codes of conduct and
the nurturing of media literacy toward creating a globally
acceptable media policy for the benefit of the Internet
community.

Using Internet filters, such as the ICRA system (icra.org),
users are able to allow or disallow access to websites based on
the objective information provided by the system and the
subjective preferences of the user. It does not rate Internet
content, as ICRA makes no value judgments about the sites.

The roundtable also discussed the creation of voluntary codes
of conduct to be followed by the Internet industry, such as
Internet Service Providers (ISP) and content websites. These
rules should take into account the needs of all parties
concerned, from the business goals of the industry, to the
security issues of the government. They should, however, be
flexible enough to keep up with social and technological
developments in the world.

Perhaps one of the most important issues reviewed is the
fostering of media literacy, in which people will be able to
become more active in their quest for knowledge. Instead of
relying on a few sources of information, they would be savvy
enough to plow through the massive amounts of data online to
arrive at their own conclusions and perhaps publish their
findings online, sharing their thoughts with others. Considering
the extremely contradictory points of view in the mass media
regarding the war in Iraq or coverage of news about Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome, it would be helpful for the community to
gather as much information as it can.

Some people may think that the creation of policies for the
Internet is not a good idea. The 'Net should be free and
unrestricted, they say: Any objectionable content is the price of
complete freedom. However, at some point, someone will try to
govern or control it, perhaps using their position in the global
marketplace to advance their interests over others.

The anarchic nature of the Internet must be tamed. As such,
the recommendations of the Asia Europe Foundation roundtable
discussion are to be followed up by the participants in their
home countries. It is hoped that this multilateral approach can
assist the evolution of the Internet medium to the benefit of
all.