Just a couple of weeks ago, we've heard of grumblings from the bowels of government of a possible effort in 2007 to filter pornography from local internet users. This led to worries in the tech community that this will be the start of a very slippery slope, eventually leading to the wholesale censorship of the web while running roughshod over a key tenet of the MSC Bill of Guarantees.

Well folks, we have arrived at the next logical conclusion:

Registering bloggers may be a “stricter” way to stop cyberspace writers from spreading disharmony and lies. 

Acknowledging that the registration of bloggers was a difficult task, Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha said that it needed the cooperation of other countries.  

Kong said: “We need to have stricter cyber laws to prevent these bloggers from disseminating disharmony, chaos, seditious material and lies. 

“We are talking about creating cyber laws to control those who misuse the Internet,” he added.

Do keep in mind this is just the government thinking aloud and there has been no concrete action to actually censor the internet or require blogger registration (Personally, I think it's impossible, as there are many ways around it. See Boing Boing's Guide to Defeating Censorware.)

But it is our responsibilities as Malaysian citizens to be heard; that we respectfully disagree with any censorship of the Internet and blogger registration. If you have a blog or a website, now is the time to be heard. Blog and write about this before we see our country joining this list.

I'd like to quote the MSC Bill of Guarantees here (emphasis is mine):

• Provide a world-class physical and information infrastructure.
  
• Allow unrestricted employment of local and foreign knowledge workers.
  
• Ensure freedom of ownership by exempting companies with MSC Malaysia Status from local ownership requirements.
  
• Give the freedom to source capital globally for MSC Malaysia infrastructure, and the right to borrow funds globally.
  
• Provide competitive financial incentives, including no income tax for up to 10 years or an investment tax allowance, and no duties on import of multimedia equipment.
  
• Become a regional leader in intellectual property protection and cyberlaws.
  
• Ensure no Internet censorship.
  
• Provide globally competitive telecommunications tariffs.
  
• Tender key MSC Malaysia infrastructure contracts to leading companies willing to use the MSC Malaysia as their regional hub.
  
• Provide an effective one-stop agency - Multimedia Development Corporation.

Name: zach	Comment: reading blog is one way of getting feedback from the people. censoring blog is one way of progeressing backward. when pople shout out it is one avenue and source for the administrator of the country to check and balance their administration. The Malay proverb" There is no smoke without fire" I support the move against internet censorship.
Rated Article: Posted: 2007-01-14 12:42:00

Name: hairmee	Comment: these people are killing internet freedom
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-09 10:48:59

Name: Salocin.TEN

Comment: How could they do this??? First, registering prepaid phone users (actually this was a good move that should have been done long ago, for there are very real threats). Then banning some useful business textbooks and nice children's books from Malaysia? Now registering blog users? After that? Blocking off the Internet to Malaysia-only Websites? We are just going backwards rather than progressing. I don't think there is much to talk about Malaysia when our independence reaches 50 years old. Guys, there is an outlet. Go to www.thecicak.com and sound off there. The site and committee are based in Canada, sponsored by TheSun newspaper. BTW, my Website is hosted in Australia.

Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-08 14:55:55

Name: John Doe	Comment: You've the right to remain absolutely silent!! In fact, that is your ONLY rights!!!! Anything you said, haven't said, think you're about to say, will be, shall be and definitely will be used against you in the Court of Malaysia and BN!!! YOU ARE SCREWED!!!! Muaaa...haaa...haaa.hhaaaa.
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-05 09:29:59

Name: spanker	Comment: Obvious, other countries will be of the opinion that "if you can't handle the opinions from your own citizens, why should we handle it for you?"
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-04 12:15:52

Name: anonymous	Comment: what... they think everybody is a jeff ooi? talk about idiocy AND ignorance.
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-03 22:55:54

Name: TC_Boy	Comment: Time to rename this country to China 2.
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-03 20:29:00

Name: emino	Comment: Blogs is a way to express opinions without getting shot and put into jails. And it seems like Malaysia is on the step to takes away the freedom of giving opinions.
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-03 19:55:01

Name: Adrian Tan	Comment: What happened to the promise of no internet censorship? Tsk, tsk, tsk... Lets hope it is just "just the government thinking aloud"...
Rated Article: Posted: 2006-12-03 12:09:28

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