Malaysia mulls Internet laws against bloggers: report
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Malaysia may introduce tough Internet laws to control bloggers and prevent them from spreading &quot;disharmony, chaos, seditious material and lies&quot; on their websites, a report has said.
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When a popular blogger revealed that Facebook had banned his account, the Web erupted in speculative chatter. But where should they really be pointing fingers?
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(InfoWorld) - A press advocacy group is "dismayed" about Google's decision to block YouTube videos from viewers in Thailand that are considered inappropriate or illegal by that Asian government. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), calling Google's reported agreement with the Thai government "a censorship deal," said on Wednesday that the move creates "a dangerous precedent, which could have global implications for freedom of expression." "There is a clear potential for abuse of people's right to information, which seems much more likely now [that] Google has demonstrated its willingness to collude with governments to effectively censor information," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said in a statement. The Thailand Embassy in Washington, D.C., didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. On Friday and during the weekend, various news outlets reported from Bangkok that Thailand had lifted a five-month ban on YouTube for its residents after Google agreed to block videos the government finds objectionable. In an article posted Friday, the International Herald Tribune quoted Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, Thailand's minister of information and communications technology, as saying that YouTube had agreed to block clips deemed offensive to Thai culture or that violate Thai law. People accessing YouTube from outside of Thailand will be able to view the videos blocked in that country, the minister told the International Herald Tribune. Thailand blocked all access to Google's YouTube, the world's most popular video-sharing site, in early April after someone posted a video the government considered insulting to the country's king. YouTube is "pleased to hear" that access to its site has been reinstated in Thailand, a YouTube spokesman said via e-mail Wednesday. "We appreciate the constructive dialogue we have had with the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Ministry.Â YouTube remains committed to removing videos when they violate our content policies, and we will continue to work closely with authorities in Thailand," the YouTube spokesman wrote. YouTube has taken steps to make sure that its users in Thailand will not be able to access videos that have been identified as violating the country's laws, he confirmed. Asked if YouTube's parent company had any reaction to the IFJ's criticism, he said the question should answered by a Google official. At press time, no one from Google had responded to this question. Those found guilty of offending the monarchy face serious penalties in Thailand. Days before the YouTube incident, a Swiss national living in Thailand got slapped with a 10-year jail sentence for defacing images of the king. This is the latest incident in which Google and other providers of Internet services, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, find themselves criticized for censorship by human rights organizations, press advocacy groups, U.S. legislators, and shareholders. For example, several Internet companies have been criticized for agreeing to censor content in their China sites and search engines that the Chinese government finds objectionable. Yahoo in particular has been blasted often for cooperating with the Chinese governmentÂ and providing information that has led to the arrest of dissidents and journalists. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and others invariably defend themselves saying that they must comply with the local laws of the countries in which they do business and that governments must collaborate to establish international standards of operation. "We always welcome constructive discussions with local governments around the world on similar issues. We are committed to addressing these questions in ways that both respect relevant laws and cultural concerns and are consistent with our global content policies," the YouTube spokesman wrote. When it comes to content that may break local laws, YouTube works with local authorities to resolve the issues. "We think this approach strikes the right balance betweenÂ freedom of expression and respect for local law," he wrote. Thailand recently introduced the Computer Crime Act, which gives authorities the power to seize the computers of people suspected of accessing or creating content deemed insulting or pornographic, according to the IFJ. Activist, social worker and webmaster Sombat Bun-ngam-anong is currently serving a 12-day detention order for alleged defamation for violating the Act, the IFJ said in Wednesday's statement. Also on Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders, another international press watchdog group, reported that a Thai blogger named Pichai has been reportedly detained for the past 12 days, also for violating the Act, which this group says took effect on July 18. The blogger's arrest "confirms our fears about the dangers of a law that is supposed to combat pornography but turns out to be a way of restricting and controlling press freedom," Reporters Without Borders charged.
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Employers have been warned that they could be held liable for comments made by their employees on "blogs" or in chat rooms.
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Indonesia&#39;s new president is considering outlawing the Al-Qaeda linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, but first wants proof the network exists in his country, according to an interview on Time magazine&#39;s Website on Tuesday.
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By Chandra Devi  * ONE of the bill of guarantees under the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative was that the Malaysian Government will not pursue Internet censorship. And it has kept to its promise to date.
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Though communications protections exist, the law is fuzzy regarding internet and e-mail activity. Watch out for the legalization of digital mind readers tracing internet users' thoughts and interests, and trampling privacy rights in the process.
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By ALEXA OLESEN  BEIJING - China, which jails more journalists than any other nation, is challenging the view that information on the Internet is impossible to control, and the implications for press freedom could be far-reaching, a New York-based rights group said.
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Several arrests in Hong Kong for posting sexually explicit images of what appear to be some of Asiaâs best-known pop stars has led to a debate over free speech on the Web.
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Human Rights Watch Wednesday condemned Malaysia's plan to introduce tough laws that curb the movements of migrant employees and allow employers &quot;to lock up workers.&quot;
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A proposed law would require companies to keep detailed data about peopleâs Internet and phone use.
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MALAYSIA'S own Internet exchange will be launched December 15, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said.  The initiative will reduce money going out of the country as more Internet traffic is localised.
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New rules by a Chinese government-backed Internet group maintain controls over the country's bloggers, requiring them to register
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China will intensify controls of the growing numbers of bloggers using the Internet to lay bare their thoughts, politics and even bodies, the country's chief censor has announced.
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Seizure of Indymedia's Web servers raises questions about when Internet companies can be forced to release information to authorities.
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A disputed article about Sunni worshippers being burned alive in Iraq has ignited the blogosphere and caused the Iraqi government to threaten journalists with Âlegal action.Â
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Yahoo criticized the Chinese government on Monday, saying it shouldn't curtail its citizens' rights to free speech, just one day after it was sued by the mother of a jailed journalist.