Resist Internet restrictions
Resist Internet restrictions
An ASEAN meeting which starts today in Singapore has a
descriptive title. The ASEAN Regulator's Forum on Internet is
Singapore's latest attempts to seek a common stand by all ASEAN
members to regulate and restrict the Internet.
A two-day forum of political and technical experts begins
tomorrow behind closed doors. This presumably is to avoid any
bothersome interruptions by citizens who might question whether
ASEAN-wide regulation of the Internet is either an advantage or
necessary.
Singapore specifically is seeking an ASEAN-wide mandate of its
plan for stopping citizens from accessing certain objectionable
material on the Internet.
The country's attorney-general and Internet experts will try
to convince neighbors to install, and to legalize, what is known
as a proxy server at all Internet access sites, in all ASEAN
countries. A Thai delegation of technical experts is attending
this meeting.
The agenda includes discussion of common policy on what is
actually objectionable. The main presentations are, of course, by
Singaporeans. Their position has been stated several times.
For example, last March, Information and Arts Minister George
Yeo recommended government controls over Internet information
dealing with sex, religion and politics. Some of this sounds good
in the presentations.
Lurid stories of filthy pictures, pedophilia and perverts
"surfing the Net" in search of young victims are common. But
there are large leaps necessary, to get from these tales, even if
they are true, to government control.
Forget for the moment that this proxy server also can be
bypassed by knowledgeable users. It can only exclude information
based on rules established by humans. Just how ludicrous this
becomes was illustrated early this year by the family-oriented
service, America On-line (AOL).
In an effort to protect its customers and their children from
offensive Internet material, AOL technical experts set up a proxy
server. Apparently armed with extremely dirty minds but little
common sense, they banned the word "breast", meaning discussion
and support groups for breast cancer were deleted.
Singapore's attempt to bring all ASEAN members behind its
Internet policies should be resisted. The problems of Singapore
are not shared identically by its neighbors.
Thais, for example, support a free press and multi-party
democracy with open debate. Vietnam, on the other hand, denies
its citizens any access to the Internet.
Thailand's pressing Internet problem is the rapidly growing
gap between the elite of the Information Age and those who have
no access to it. Perhaps 90 percent of our citizens are denied
access to the Internet because of cost. It is far too early to
expend energy and money on ways to try to restrict it.
-- The Bangkok Post