From: petemack@ozemail.com.au (Peter Mackay) Newsgroups: aus.politics,soc.culture.singapore,aus.org.efa,comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Internet feels censor's wrath Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 14:48:24 +1000 Organization: Air Mail Games - Canberra - Australia Lines: 68 Message-ID: The Australian Financial Review Friday 12 Jul 96 Louis Berkerling The Singapore Government yesterday unveiled a licensing scheme under which it proposes to censor the Internet. Amongst the most controversial targets of the censoring scheme will be content which the watchdog body, the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), decides could bring the Government into "hatred or contempt", or which excite disaffection against the Government. The terms remained undefined yesterday, and it will be left to the SBA itself to decide what material falls foul of this provision. The SBA will then require the three content providers or gateways which provide access to the Internet to Singapore users, to block access to the offending material or risk losing their licences. Another provision likely to spark controversy requires all individuals or groups which provide content on an organised basis to be licensed as Internet content providers. ... Singapore promotes Internet actively in line with its objective to make the city of 3 million people the hub of high-tech industry. One in three homes has a computer and the number of Internet accounts doubled last year to 100Ê000. A government plan calls for connecting each home to a computer network by 2000. *** Comment Just idly wondering how far they expect to get with this one. Proposals such as this would stifle debate on aus.politics, where every second user feels obligated to describe the Prime Minister as a dork. I can just imagine the scope of future discussions. Bill Bloggs writes: Joe Blow writes: > Geez, isn't that nice Mr Howard a peachy-keen Prime Minister? Oh, I don't think he's all *that* peachy-keen, Joe. Some time later: Bill Bloggs writes: Whatever happened to Joe Blow? He wasn't a bad old stick, was he? Maybe we should all get together, learn more about Singaporean politics (or less for full effect) and start criticising them and bringing disaffection down on their heads. Bill Bloggs writes from a bastion of freedom: Geez, that Fuck-Knuckle is a stupid prick for introducing that Internet Censorship Bill, isn't he? ~ m u U Cheers! \| |> -Peter Mackay / \ petemack@ozemail.com.au _\ /_ If you believe in magic, you have the universe at your command.