Malaysia: A Step Closer To Internet Censorship?
The Malaysian government is looking into the feasibility of installing an Internet filter to block “undesirable websites”, along the lines of the People's Republic of China's abandoned “Green Dam” software. The reason for this new move is so that racial harmony in multicultural Malaysia is maintained, according to news site Malaysiakini.
According to the Malaysian Insider, the feasibility study is to be completed by December 2009 and “the results will be handed to a shadowy unit monitoring blogs and websites although the decision on implementation will lie with the National Security Council headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.”
The move is has critics and opposition politicians crying foul as it breaches the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees. Furthermore, IT specialists have also said the move is “a waste of time”, which then makes the use of public funds in this endeavour questionable.
The Information, Communication and Culture Ministry has called for tenders for this proposed Internet filter. Unsurprisingly, this development comes hot on the heels of the previous proposal of getting bloggers registered.
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