OT: Malaysian Government Wants Internet Filtering

[meng]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/08/0243231/Malaysian-Government-Wants-Internet-Filtering

According to a Reuters report, "A vibrant Internet culture has contributed to political challenges facing the government, which tightly controls mainstream media and has used sedition laws and imprisonment without trial to prosecute a blogger."


http://www.forbes.com/feeds/reuters/2009/08/07/2009-08-07T071038Z_01_KLR434414_RTRIDST_0_MALAYSIA-INTERNET-Q-A.html

Q+A-Malaysia's proposed Internet filter prompts criticism
Excepts:

Prime Minister Najib Razak is often a target of attacks on the Internet. He is still linked by opposition websites to the murder of a Mongolian model, although he denies the allegation, which has not been proven.

Tender documents specify a filter at the Internet gateway level, meaning service providers such as Telekom Malaysia, Redtone, Green Packet and Axiata will have to impose the blocks.
That will be more effective than "Green Dam", which aimed to force manufacturers to bundle Internet filtering software with sales of new personal computers.

The opposition may use the issue to show a crackdown is in the works. That could add numbers to any protests around the ongoing trial for sodomy of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
The government's reputation has also been stained by the recent death of an aide to an opposition lawmaker after being questioned by a state body.
Analysts say filtering websites shows Najib's government is fearful of the Internet culture that emerged in 1998 after Anwar, a deputy prime minister then, was sacked and charged with corruption and sodomy and then jailed.
The opposition, which had no access to mainstream media, harnessed the Internet during the 2008 elections, making frequent and effective use of blogs, websites and services like Twitter.

--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists