Based On Your Opinion, Which Content Should Be Censored The Most?

Based on the pie chart above, we can clearly see that pornographic materials are definately the most important content to be censored. Pornographic material, which came in highest,66%, vulgar words and religions or clutures has 16% respectively and violent content has nil.

Pornographic material nowadays can be downloaded into our laptops and handphones just in a split second. Thanks to another connecting method known as bluetooth, people can now share the pornographic material using bluetooth. The internet should most definately censor any pornographic pictures, text, video and even websites that cater to this.

Vulgar words is also important as the internet is open to public. People from all ages, especially kids, are prone to this. Vulgar words or language should be censored by totally removing or changing the words and languages.

Religions and cultures issues are equally important as this kind of issues can lead to uninvited problems, such as, racial fights.

Law of Internet Censorship in Malaysia

In March 1999, numerous media organisations reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said there would be no censorship of the Internet. For example, in an article titled Do Away With Internet Censorship: PM the Utusan Express reported:

"KUALA LUMPUR March 16 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has advised the Cabinet to dispense with attempts on internet censorship, said Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) executive chairman Tan Sri Dr Othman Yeop Abdullah today.
'The Prime Minister has given specific instructions that there will not be censorship on the internet. That's the position of the government,' he said at a press conference.
He explained that the Prime Minister was reaffirming a pledge in the Bill of Guarantee last week that there will be no censorship on the internet.

On 14 February 2002, an article in The Australian reported that the Malaysian government had signalled an intent to require website operators to obtain licences. According to the article "Steven Gan, editor-in-chief of Malaysiakini.com, says the Mahathir government's plan to require licences for website operators would effectively silence the only dissenting media voices in a nation with rigid controls over traditional news outlets, especially newspapers."

Thailands massive internet censorship

Global Voices Advocacy (GVD), a global anti-censorship network of bloggers and online activists, has launched a shocking report that Thailand has blocked at least 113,000 websites deemed to pose a threat to national security. With its objective to defend free speech online, Global Voices revealed that Thailand's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) and the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations (CRES) admitted to blocking 48,000 websites in May this year, 50,000 in June and July and adding 500 more per day. Asia Sentinel has been blocked intermittently in Thailand over stories critical of the political crisis in the country.

Almost all blocked websites were accused of breaching Thailand's infamous lese-majeste law.

Lese-majeste, or the crime of injury to the royalty, is defined by Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which states that defamatory, insulting or threatening comments about the king, queen and regent are punishable by three to 15 years in prison. On top of this, the information ministry announced a blacklist of 200 persons banned from posting to the Internet. This restriction was undefined but presumably all sites bearing these names will be blocked. Blocking websites will prove to be futile since the world of Internet is borderless. How many websites have to be closed down in order to protect national security? In reality, the government's latest move is likely to hinder its own effort to achieve reconciliation. The government may argue that some websites with malicious intent must be banned. But exploiting lèse-majesté law to undermine political opponents will further deepen social injustice and aggravate hatred that has prevailed in the Thai society.

Transcript :




Merujuk kepada berita dari surat khabar The Star yang bertarikh 31 Januari 2012, ia mencatatkan bahawa 'blogger' Datuk Ahirudin, atau lebih dikenali sebagai Rocky, di internet, telah meminta maaf kepada bekas eksekutif tinggi surat khabar New Straits Times Paper (NSTP).




Sebagai penyelesaian, ia mencatatkan bahawa Ahirudin "megenali, mengakui, dan bersimpati akan kemaluan dan kesulitan yang dilanda kepada plaintif tersebut dan keluarganya akibat kenyataan awam itu di internet.




Ahirudin juga telah bersetuju bahawa dia tidak akan mempamerkan apa-apa kenyataan awam seperti itu di internet lagi.




Jadi, kita semua boleh melihat bagaimana satu kenyataan di internet boleh menjadi huru-hara dan menjadi kes mahkamah. Pastikan bahawa anda fikir dahulu sebelum mempamerkan apa-apa di internet.





English Translation :


Based on a news article taken from The Star Newspaper dated 31st January 2012, it was stated that blogger Datuk Ahirudin, or better known as Rocky in weblog, has apologized to former top executives of New Straits Times Paper(NSTP).


As a settlement, it was stated that Ahirudin, " acknowledges, recognizes and empathises with the distress and difficulity that the plaintiff and his family had to face due to the publication of the statement.


Ahirudin also has agreed and promised not to make any similar statements in the internet in the future.


So, we can see how a simple statement in the internet can become a big fuss and can be a court case. Therefore, make sure you think twice before posting any kind of statements in the internet to avoid mishaps.

Transcript


Vanakam...


Indraya nagariya ulagil kanniniyin payanpadu atigaritukku vittatu. perumpalanna illanggalil ondrukkum metpatta  kanini payanpattil irukkirathu. Inaiya talattai payanpaduttu bawargalin yennikkai atigamaga ullatthal tevai illatavaigalai tanikkai seivathu migamiga mukkiam. Manawargal aditadi sambattam patta vishanggalil iruntum abbasam padanggal mattam samayatthriku muranpadana vishangalil iruntum kakkup paduyirangal .Nammai namm patu kattuk kolwatarkum tanikkai utavugiratu. Arasangam sambattam patta vishayangal veliyagamal veliya irupatarkum tanikkai urutunaiyaga irukkiratu. Ethirkalathil namm annaivarum entha oru prachanaiyilum mattik kollamal iruppatarku tanikkai miga miga mukkiam.


Nandri vanakam


Transcript

Hello....

Well  In today's world of modern technologies  there are an increasing number of homes obtaining Internet access and more than half of the households have more than one computer with Internet access. With this increase in Internet usage it is of utmost importance that we have some sort of filtering service on the net.

Well they are many aspects why censorship is very much needed in today’s era. Censorship is important because people should not have to be subject to all things. If there was no censorship that may cause people rights to be void.

Besides that, censorship is important to  keep children from learning inappropriate things at a young age. Example expurgate x rated content, pornography material and offensive site away from kids. It is also important to protect the well-being of certain races, cultures, or religions.

Censorship is also vital in protecting ourselves. Censorship is made to avoid publicizing sensitive issue from being viewed to the public, certain information may be sensitive example any subject associated to the government. Any complex issue should be censored, so you would not get into trouble in the future.




Thank You ...

Is internet censorship necessary in Malaysia?

Censorship is very important in Malaysia especially internet censorship. From the poll question posted, 100% agreed that internet censorship in necessary in Malaysia because in today’s world, of modern technologies there are an increasing number of homes obtaining internet access. As we all know internet censorship is done to avoid children from learning inappropriate things as well as people should not have to be subject to all things. Many children wouldn’t know the inappropriate things that the cyber world may have to offer them but by using the internet daily, they will tend to know things easily. Example: offensive sites and pornography sites are to be kept away from children. In this modern technology world, children from the age of 4 know how to use the internet and Google. So it is very important that we have some sort of filtering service on the net. 

Technology and financial resources asian countries use to police the internet

Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam lack the kind of technology and financial resources that China and some other large countries use to police the Internet. The Southeast Asian nations are using other methods also seen in China  to tamp down criticism, including arresting some bloggers and individuals posting contentious views online.

Malaysia has recently used its colonial-era Internal Security Act, which allows detention for up to two years without trial, to muzzle bloggers. Thailand is ramping up its reliance on a recently introduced Computer Crimes Act to restrict criticism of its royal family and limit the spread of what the government calls seditious material. Vietnam, an authoritarian Communist state, has been arresting people caught posting thoughts that run contrary to government policy, and has detained lawyers who try to defend them.

A number of governments in the region have discovered they can't use technology alone to block out dissent because people will always find a way around it. Instead they are trying to send out the message that the government is watching what their citizens are up to, and many of these arrests are deliberately high-profile.

To be sure, not every government in the region is trying to bolt down the Internet. Singapore, where mainstream media are largely controlled by the government, has taken a relatively hands-off approach to the Internet. The governments of Indonesia and the Philippines don't limit political content on the Internet in their countries.

REFERENCES :

The wall street journal, september 15 2009

url : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125288982580207609.html

Blogger Apologises to Former NSTP Top Execs (The Star,January 31st 2012)

Based on a news aritcle from The Star Newspaper dated 31st January 2012, it was written that blogger Datuk Ahirudin Atan, or famously known as 'Rocky' in weblog, has apologised to former top executives of New Straits Times Paper (NSTP) Bhd as a part of an out-of-court settlement in a defamation suit.


In the settlement statement, it was recorded that Ahirudin "recognizes, acknowledges and empathises with the considerable distress, embarrassment and inconvenience caused to the plaintiffs resulting from the publication of the statements".


He also agreed that he will not publish any similar allegations concerning the plaintiffs on his weblog or any other websites. The blogger also will remove a link to the Walk With Us weblog that contain similar defamatory statements.


Looking at this news aritcle, we can clearly see how a statement in a blog can lead to a court case. So people, before writing or putting up anything on your blog, please think twice as it can lead you some place that cause you and your family an embarrassement.



Reference : M.Mageswari (2012) The Star Newspaper [online]


http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/31/nation2012131095439&sec=nation

Is internet censorship important ?

Censorship is incredibly important and it is certainly an undeniable fact and based on the poll given , 85 % agreed on this and 15 % disagreed on this. Well  In today's world of modern technologies  there are an increasing number of homes obtaining Internet access and more than half of the households have more than one computer with Internet access. With this increase in Internet usage it is of utmost importance that we have some sort of filtering service on the net.

Well they are many aspects why censorship is very much needed in today’s era. Censorship is important because people should not have to be subject to all things. If there was no censorship that may cause people rights to be void.

Besides that, censorship is important to  keep children from learning inappropriate things at a young age. Example expurgate x rated content, pornography material and offensive site away from kids. It is also important to protect the well-being of certain races, cultures, or religions.

Censorship is also vital in protecting ourselves. Censorship is made to avoid publicizing sensitive issue from being viewed to the public, certain information may be sensitive example any subject associated to the government. Any complex issue should be censored, so you would not get into trouble in the future.

References : Margarita VALDÉS CORTÉS <mvaldes@nic.cl>

University of Chile


URL : http://www.isoc.org/inet2000/cdproceedings/8k/8k_4.htm

Disadvantage of Internet censorship

As far as there is advantage in practicing Internet censorship for sure there would be few disadvantage as well simply because every pro's has its con's. The Internet has made the world a smaller place. Censoring content on the Internet removes the ubiquity that it has introduced. Censorship takes a number of forms everywhere from the filter used in a school to the Great Firewall of China. The debate on Internet censorship stems from when it is ineffective, when it's taken too far and when it's used to push personal agendas. There are some points that could be surfaced as the disadvantage of internet censorship such as,Violation of Rights which means the Internet is protected by the Government, though this obviously does not apply in all countries, additionally, schools and companies can make their own rules for their networks. However, in places where free speech is a right, the Internet is protected by it. When a website is shut down or forced to modify its legal content, this censorship violates a webmaster's rights.


Secondly, it would be Widening Social Gaps. The Internet has made the world a smaller place by giving us a global meeting place. It doesn't matter what language you speak or where you were born. By finding common ground on intellectual and ideological levels, you come to recognize that you have more in common with other cultures. If the Internet is censored, you are in less of a situation to learn about others and identify with similarities. Thirdly it would be the Cost. Implementing a censorship system, either small scale within a facility or large scale within a government, takes time and resources. In addition to the cost of the labor and equipment required to set up a filter, firewall or other form of censorship, the system needs to be maintained, occasionally upgraded and repaired as time goes on. Whether the cost of this comes from schools, corporate budgets or government budgets. The money could simply be more effectively spent on more important issues, no matter what the scale.


Last but not least would be, Limiting Educational Resources. While filters get implemented with the best of intentions, they are not a cure-all to hiding inappropriate content. For instance, in schools with a filter designed to keep out inappropriate content may not be able to access content about the book "Pelangi production," as they would be required to purchased it with the original price. Further, if a person is trying to find information on a more controversial topic such as sexuality or drug use to educate himself, he may not be able to access the resources he needs to be as self-educated as possible. In conclusion it should be said that internet censorship should be controlled and limited so that the disadvantage would not overtake the advantages of censorship as it would effect public while trying to obtain some useful information for individual purpose.


Reference:
by By Jodi Strehlow, eHow Contributor [online resources]
URL :http://www.ehow.com/info_8233325_advantages-disadvantages-censoring-internet.html

Benefits of Internet Censorship

Censorship of information on the Internet has become a much publicized debate that currently is a vital topic that is being much discussed by people. There is a great controversy on whether or not is censorship is necessary.

Internet censorship is benefitial in many ways. Firstly, the women and children are protected. The pornography industry is increasingly competitve. Many aduly website think they need to provide more diversions by advocating violent sexual abuse of women and children.

Secondly, by censorship certain information in the Internet, you can actually protect yourself against email spams. Internet spam is unsolicited email. Spam can contain in many types, such as malware, viruses, phishing schemesand spywares. Spyware can be activated by simply opening that particular email. To avoid this, do not open any unknown emails and don't be tempted into any of that. Phishing schemes will try to steal your identity by asking several personal information about yourself. These notes often appears to be form seemingly legitimate financial companies asking you to verify your account and password.

Thirdly, by having this Internet censorship, many sensitive issues cannot be published without any proof. Sensitive issues such as religion, cultures, politics and so on, which can be a threat to our society, is best censored to avoid arguements and maintain peace among us.

References : Usman Qazi (1996) The Internet Censorship Controvery[Online].

URL : http://courses.cs.vt.edu/3604/lib/censorship/notes.html