Intl cooperation needed to curb Net abuse: Moggie
Leong Kar YenPublished: Apr 19, 2001 3:56 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
The international cyber community should look into the possibility of formulating laws that will prevent web portals in their respective countries from hosting libelous and abusive content attacking other countries, Energy, Communications and Multimedia Minister Leo Moggie said today.
He said there is a need for international cooperation and an integrated approach to curb such Internet abuses.
"For example, we can also formulate laws to deal with who should be responsible for updating and uploading information on the Internet," he said.
However, Moggie stated that the task of controlling Internet input was not easy but a complex and expensive one.
"It is hard to control access to Internet contents, not only in terms of cost but also in terms of methods or mechanisms that are appropriate to observe the use of this technology effectively," he said.
Moggie said this in his speech when opening a two-day seminar on 'Cyber laws: An Islamic Perspective' at the Institute for Islamic Understanding in Kuala Lumpur.
No censorship
The Malaysian government has stated in its Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Bill of Guarantee that there would be no censorship of the Internet.
The guarantee was adopted in line with the government's policy of creating a knowledge-based economy through the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), Malaysia's version of US' Silicon Valley.
However, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced on Monday that local laws pertaining to the media may be amended to be more 'effective' ([#1]Mahathir says Internet messages have called for his death[/#], April 17).
His deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had told reporters that the government would study existing legislation as and when developments in the media and the Internet call for it, before deciding whether to amend any laws.
Other Internet laws include the Digital Signature Act 1997, the Telemedicine Act 1997, the Copyright Act 1997 (amended) and the Computer Crimes Act 1997. Another cyber-law in the works is the Protection of Private Data Act.
'Double-edge sword'
Moggie stressed that aside from a legal approach, there is also a need to instill a "strong inner strength" in an individual as a barrier against the harmful effects of Internet abuse and to enable him or her to choose Internet content that is "proper and good".
"Strong inner strength is important in facing the challenges of fast-paced technological advancements, especially in terms of the Internet which presents itself as a 'double-edged sword'," Moggie said.
"The main challenge that we face now is not just specifically on efforts to ensure that information and communications technology (ICT) is available to all levels of society but also to ensure that the ICT infrastructure in this country is used in a productive and profitable manner," he said.
He cited a study done by the Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team (Mycert), the government's ICT trouble-shooting body, which found that from August 1997 until March 2001 there were 1,810 ICT security-breach cases such as hacking and virus attacks.
Positive effects
Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) deputy chairperson Harun Hashim said that the freedom of expression now being practised in the cyber-world in Malaysia "can bring about many positive effects".
Presenting his paper on cyber freedom and privacy at the seminar, he said the practice of 'political and ideological censorship' would only give rise to a generation that was incapable of thinking logically and intelligently.
"Worries that an ideological war on the Internet will endanger the public does not arise at all in the new millennium," he said, adding that the Internet should not be seen as a threat.
Abdullah recently said that ideological differences advocated on the Internet can damage the country's political situation and undermine national stability ([#2]Web-based ideologies a threat, says Abdullah[/#], April 10).
He said there is a need for international cooperation and an integrated approach to curb such Internet abuses.
"For example, we can also formulate laws to deal with who should be responsible for updating and uploading information on the Internet," he said.
However, Moggie stated that the task of controlling Internet input was not easy but a complex and expensive one.
"It is hard to control access to Internet contents, not only in terms of cost but also in terms of methods or mechanisms that are appropriate to observe the use of this technology effectively," he said.
Moggie said this in his speech when opening a two-day seminar on 'Cyber laws: An Islamic Perspective' at the Institute for Islamic Understanding in Kuala Lumpur.
No censorship
The Malaysian government has stated in its Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Bill of Guarantee that there would be no censorship of the Internet.
The guarantee was adopted in line with the government's policy of creating a knowledge-based economy through the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), Malaysia's version of US' Silicon Valley.
However, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced on Monday that local laws pertaining to the media may be amended to be more 'effective' ([#1]Mahathir says Internet messages have called for his death[/#], April 17).
His deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had told reporters that the government would study existing legislation as and when developments in the media and the Internet call for it, before deciding whether to amend any laws.
Other Internet laws include the Digital Signature Act 1997, the Telemedicine Act 1997, the Copyright Act 1997 (amended) and the Computer Crimes Act 1997. Another cyber-law in the works is the Protection of Private Data Act.
'Double-edge sword'
Moggie stressed that aside from a legal approach, there is also a need to instill a "strong inner strength" in an individual as a barrier against the harmful effects of Internet abuse and to enable him or her to choose Internet content that is "proper and good".
"Strong inner strength is important in facing the challenges of fast-paced technological advancements, especially in terms of the Internet which presents itself as a 'double-edged sword'," Moggie said.
"The main challenge that we face now is not just specifically on efforts to ensure that information and communications technology (ICT) is available to all levels of society but also to ensure that the ICT infrastructure in this country is used in a productive and profitable manner," he said.
He cited a study done by the Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team (Mycert), the government's ICT trouble-shooting body, which found that from August 1997 until March 2001 there were 1,810 ICT security-breach cases such as hacking and virus attacks.
Positive effects
Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) deputy chairperson Harun Hashim said that the freedom of expression now being practised in the cyber-world in Malaysia "can bring about many positive effects".
Presenting his paper on cyber freedom and privacy at the seminar, he said the practice of 'political and ideological censorship' would only give rise to a generation that was incapable of thinking logically and intelligently.
"Worries that an ideological war on the Internet will endanger the public does not arise at all in the new millennium," he said, adding that the Internet should not be seen as a threat.
Abdullah recently said that ideological differences advocated on the Internet can damage the country's political situation and undermine national stability ([#2]Web-based ideologies a threat, says Abdullah[/#], April 10).
View Comments0