Horror of horrors – BN government wants to put up Internet filter blocking “undesirable websites” in total violation of the MSC guarantee of no internet censorship!


I had tweeted: “Horror of horrors. BN govt wants Internet filter 2block ‘undesirable websites. Dear Rais – “Et tu Brutus”? M’s MSC guarantee?”

This must be the common reaction of Malaysians, particularly in the Malaysian cybersphere, blogosphere and twitterverse to the Malaysian Insider report that the Malaysian government is evaluating the feasibility of putting an Internet filter to block “undesirable websites” — similar to China’s aborted “Green Dam” software.

Malaysian Insider reported that the Minister for Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim is commissioning a study which is to be completed in December to filter blogs and websites.

Rais’ Ministry had initiated a tender exercise calling for companies to put proposals to assist the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) evaluate an Internet filter.

The Malaysian Insider reported that the tender documents require the tenderer to:

  • evaluate the readiness and feasibility for the implementation of Internet filter at Internet gateway level, through assessments on the existing infrastructure and existing products in the market.
  • evaluate and estimate costs for the implementation.
  • study the existing legal framework in addressing content filtering and no censorship issue, including the impacts that are caused by the implementation to Internet users and the Malaysian economy.

The successful tenderer is also to visit Internet services providers (ISPs) and question them on various issues apart from studying countries which have some form of Internet filters to study the suitability for the Malaysian environment. Among the recommended countries are India, Pakistan, Australia and Hong Kong.

It is most shocking that Rais, who is generally regarded as the most level-headed and liberal of the existing Cabinet Ministers, is spearheading a move which will not only bury the government’s pledge to the world of “No Censorship” in the MultiMedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees announced by Tun Dr. Mahathir in his heyday as Prime Minister, but will be seen as a turnaway from an Open Society and retreat to a Closed Society with all the grave long-term political, economic and nation-building implications.

I call on all Barisan Nasional Ministers, leaders and component parties to take a stand to uphold the MSC Guarantee of “No Censorship” by stopping the tender exercise to instal an Internet filter to censor blogs and websites. The Cabinet next week should veto the tender exercise for an Internet filter.

  1. #1 by ktteokt on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 1:54 pm

    And you can bet the tender will be very much inflated with commissions and kickbacks to the ones in power and eventually, the rise in internet costs will be borne by none other than us, the cybernuts!

  2. #2 by johnnypok on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 1:58 pm

    I cut my cok if they dare to do it.

  3. #3 by k1980 on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 2:25 pm

    Not yer cok, johnnypok. Cut umno’s cok!

    Rais is merely following Naj’s orders. After filtering blogs and websites, Rais’ would get 100/100 for his KPI.

  4. #4 by carboncopy on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 2:31 pm

    If you can’t beat them, join them. If you can’t join them, BLOCK them?

  5. #5 by OrangRojak on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 2:39 pm

    “I tweeted”. No need for pluperfect tense. “Over lunch today, Gobind mentioned that he had seen what I had tweeted”. While at lunch, Gobind actually would have said “I saw what you tweeted”. To us reading your article, you tweeted.

    Filtering is a global scourge. See the wikipedia article on “Internet Censorship” for a map. I’m surprised to see Malaysia marked as “Under surveillance”. I actually thought the Internet would have been comparably freer here, due to lack of competence to impose restrictions.

    Perhaps it might be worth asking how Malaysia is already labelled with the second-worse level of censorship?

  6. #6 by LG on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 2:42 pm

    What a devious and sinister move by the Information Minister Dr. Rais Yatim! Clearly it is a violation of the MSC bill of Guarantee.

    By hook or crook, UMNO want to destroy the e-communication by Pakatan Raykat to the public and to block those blogs that expose the lies, evils, corruptions, brutality and hypocrisy of BN/UMNO and their controlled institutions e.g. PDRM, MACC, AG, etc.

    UMNO want to have an absolute control in the internet media to the Malaysians. They want all Malaysians to hear and listen to them only.

  7. #7 by yhsiew on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 2:54 pm

    It is clear from Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim’s action that the government is not interested in providing and improving broadband for the rakyat. In fact it wants very much to shut down the entire Internet system so that Tsunami 308 will not repeat itself in the 13th General Election.

    The government had admitted shortly after Tsunami 308 that BN performed badly because it had underestimated the influence of the Internet.

    So long as BN remains in power, the country’s broadband system will remain backward and in the long term will drag down the national economy. This is the price the rakyat have to pay for voting BN into power.

  8. #8 by yhsiew on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 3:43 pm

    How To Easily Access Blocked Websites, UnBlock, Bypass Blocked Sites Easily

    http://www.computingunleashed.com/2009/05/how-to-access-blocked.html

  9. #9 by i_love_malaysia on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:03 pm

    That’s why they are implementing the super high speed broadband in Kuantan instead of KlangValley!!!

  10. #10 by i_love_malaysia on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:06 pm

    Sorry. High speed broadband and not super high speed broadband. I am ahead of time here!!!

  11. #11 by IbnAbdHalim on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:09 pm

    It’s time that we send the current regime to Timbuktu.

  12. #12 by rubini on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:10 pm

    Even China backed away from installing the Green Dam software due to the economic consequence.
    Already Malaysia is reeling from economic downturn, this kind of policies will certainly reduce the number of companies operating in Cyberjaya & Putrajaya.

  13. #13 by i_love_malaysia on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:14 pm

    Just like MACC, BN is going to justify the filtering in the name of protecting the young which no one can deny but use it instead to filter all website with the word Religion, Race, DAP, PKR, PAS, PR, Refomasi, Democracy, marginalisation, hindraf, LKY, LKS, Najis, Krismudin, Anwar etc !!!
    The high speed broadband will be running at 512Kb if not slower!!!

  14. #14 by i_love_malaysia on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:17 pm

    It is ok for BN to let the Rakyat makan chilly with paku as long as they themselves continue to enjoy petronas oil money!!!

  15. #15 by i_love_malaysia on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:20 pm

    Still complaining. BN govt may shut the whole network down!!! They just want to hold on to power by whatever means!!!

  16. #16 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 4:39 pm

    What is glaring to me is the unspoken message this sends out. The fact of the matter the idea failed in China so the person who is proposing this think Malaysians and particularly Malay are NOT equal to the Chinese…

    Its at least a little bit insulting don’t you think??

  17. #17 by SpeakUp on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 5:04 pm

    BN just will do what it takes to keep their position of dominance. Everything is subject to change, change according to how they want it to be.

  18. #18 by malaysia born on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 5:41 pm

    When the accusations against them came, they couldn’t deny nor confirm them mainly because the accusations were the TRUTH.

    So now they are desperate to block the internet to block the truth!

    Such are the actions of a desperately guilty government.

  19. #19 by ktteokt on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 5:55 pm

    Better shut down the whole internet in Malaysia if they are so scared! The day TDM announced the MSC opened, they should have known that this means “limitless” surfing by all and now they want to restrict surfing? Stupid move. Declare Malaysia 20 years backwards, and forget about the stupid WAWASAN 2020. We are in REVERSE GEAR!

  20. #20 by johnnypok on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 6:46 pm

    Malaysia BODOH

  21. #21 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 8:10 pm

    “It is most shocking that Rais, who is generally regarded as the most level-headed and liberal of the existing Cabinet Ministers….”

    Surely you jest. There are many who will not agree with this statement given his track record. But you are entitled to your opinion.

  22. #22 by ykcir on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 8:41 pm

    I don’t need the BN government to tell what is desirable and what is not … I can decide for myself.

  23. #23 by bennylohstocks on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 9:19 pm

    “and bloggers who inflame racial sentiments.”
    THIS ONE IS MORE RACISTS!

  24. #24 by seaturtle on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 9:33 pm

    otak disumbat NAJIS/TAHI yang busuk!!!

    Rais, keep quite la you… you don’t deserve to be minister coz you have no otak at all…….. or maybe your otak is full of najis…

    Get lost BN!!!

  25. #25 by goldeneye on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 9:49 pm

    Do you think blocking and filtering can be done effectively? There are so many ways to bypass it that it’s just an exercise in futility. People are so connected now, they can quickly learn from each other.

  26. #26 by SpeakUp on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 9:50 pm

    Eh … can we still visit http://www.megajugs.com?

  27. #27 by learnyee on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 9:55 pm

    i_love_malaysia :
    Just like MACC, BN is going to justify the filtering in the name of protecting the young which no one can deny but use it instead to filter all website with the word Religion, Race, DAP, PKR, PAS, PR, Refomasi, Democracy, marginalisation, hindraf, LKY, LKS, Najis, Krismudin, Anwar etc !!!
    The high speed broadband will be running at 512Kb if not slower!!!

    512k? Gosh, that is not highspeed. I had been in that sppeed since Streamyx had been rolled out. (I was those very first signed up for TM1515 many years back)
    Anyway, there is no way to block it, if you understand how internet works, you can easily bypass it.

  28. #28 by chengho on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 10:12 pm

    just like in Singapore not only filter but cyber cop
    once u down load or write something critise LKY the cop will knocking your door within 5 mins.. LKY may advice Najib something when he was here 2 months back…

  29. #29 by tenaciousB on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 11:54 pm

    yep censored countries galore. keep blocking and make the people more curious and resort to illegal ways of getting what tipped them into their insatiable curiosity in the first place. way to go BN another great failure in the making and wasted tax payers money inspite of the economic slump!

  30. #30 by yhsiew on Thursday, 6 August 2009 - 11:57 pm

    “They have no sincerity to reform, you just have to get out of the system”, these were the words uttered by Chua Jui Meng shortly after he defected from MCA to PR.

    How true Chua’s words were. How can the country progress when we still have ministers like Rais Yatim whose mentality stays at the 1960s and 1970s? Will the country ever become a developed nation if such people were to run the country?

    I bet an arrogant Rais is trying to draw praise and attention from the people by performing a cheap publicity stunt!

  31. #31 by tenaciousB on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 12:05 am

    One of the examples of pathetic leaders handpicked to be in the cabinet. It should have been a shoe cabinet that would have been appropriate and complimentary to their lack of qualifications as a minister!

  32. #32 by House Victim on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 12:50 am

    Response from Streamyx already announced connection to USA and Canada is being slow down! Is it the step for their filtering? Call 100 and select internet. A recording is saying so.

  33. #33 by Onlooker Politics on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 11:00 am

    “once u down load or write something critise LKY the cop will knocking your door within 5 mins.. LKY may advice Najib something when he was here 2 months back…” (chengho)

    chengho is a big liar. I cristised LKY many times with a computer at the internet cafe in Singapore but no cop seemed to have approach me after 6 hours of my sitting in front of the computer.

    chengho is just the watch dog of Barisan Nasional trying to justify the internet censorship of Barisan Nasional citing LKY’s justification as the moral support. However, LKY may not be as tyrant as what chengho has falsely described here.

  34. #34 by Onlooker Politics on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 11:09 am

    YB Kit,
    I think it is time for DAP computer experts to explore the possibility of using an internet service through satellite service provided by a foreign Internet Service Provider. If we are able to bypass the backbone service of telecom, then noone will be able to successfully apply censorship on the internet service in Malaysia.

    Even if the BN Government is going to pass law which compulsorily requires all computers to install a website screening software, the law will never be effectively enforced because the software can be hacked after running for a certain period of time when the hackers are able to find out the loophole. Rais Yatim is just wasting the Malaysian people’s time by agreeing to such a stupid censorship method by law enforcement requiring the installation of a website screening software, which is already a proven failure in mainland China!

  35. #35 by yokielaw on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 11:26 am

    Welcome to 1Malaysia!
    Our Rice who knows close to nothing about IT, will be conned by these IT savvy companies and our millions will go to waste once again.Even Bill Gates could not filter, who is this Rice? An excuse only to spend the money & no need to say the rest.1st website they should filter is Che Det.
    Rice filtering the Truths..No transparency.

  36. #36 by ktteokt on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 12:28 pm

    JohnnyPok, Malaysia bukan bodoh. MALAYSIA BOLEH – MEMANG BOLEH tetapi hanya MALAYSIA BOLEH MATI!

  37. #37 by rexis on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 3:22 pm

    “It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes….to blind you from the truth.”
    “What truth?”
    “That you are a slave. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage. Born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison….for your mind.”

    No I am not talking about some movie, I am talking about Malaysia government.

    Cannot talk
    Cannot read
    Cannot see
    Cannot write
    Cannot listen
    Cannot surf
    Cannot post

    A prison… for your mind.

  38. #38 by OrangRojak on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 4:59 pm

    Onlooker Politics – according to the wikipedia article on Green Dam Youth Escort, users were not obliged to use the software, it would only be installed on new computers. There’s no need to block information 100%, 50% would probably be good enough. All that needs to be done is to reduce the exposure to corrupting influences, and there’s simply not enough momentum for the corruption to spread. It’s like vaccinating every other person against Flu – it’s enough.

    Besides, Green Dam only works on Windows, so only Counter Revolutionaries who have not yet moved to the Glorious New Dawn of Free Open Source Software are affected. If I believed in that sort of thing, I would suggest it is divine retribution!

    As for access by non-terrestrial network, you can rent your own satellite access (I imagine there are some restrictions on dishes here?) from a foreign company, or give up. Anybody who provides satellite access to you in exchange for money in Malaysia will be subject to whatever filtering scheme the government decides on.

  39. #39 by johnnypok on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 6:50 pm

    Pornography = Making babies = Natural = Impossible to stop human = even eunuch from BN/UMNO are addicted to it.
    The more you block the more rape cases!

  40. #40 by johnnypok on Friday, 7 August 2009 - 8:14 pm

    Rice anak Yatim, you better go hang yourself to think pornography is bad for the poeple.

  41. #41 by Onlooker Politics on Saturday, 8 August 2009 - 1:25 am

    “There’s no need to block information 100%, 50% would probably be good enough. All that needs to be done is to reduce the exposure to corrupting influences, and there’s simply not enough momentum for the corruption to spread. It’s like vaccinating every other person against Flu – it’s enough.” (OrangRojak)

    OrangRojak,
    Corrupting influences???

    I guess the software will indiscriminately filter the popular Cartoon Cat Character, Garfield, because the yellowish hairs of Garfield look very similar to naked human flesh as shown in R-rated or X-rated movies. Is this the so-called “corrupting influence” which you are talking about?

  42. #42 by Onlooker Politics on Saturday, 8 August 2009 - 1:49 am

    “As for access by non-terrestrial network, you can rent your own satellite access (I imagine there are some restrictions on dishes here?) from a foreign company, or give up. Anybody who provides satellite access to you in exchange for money in Malaysia will be subject to whatever filtering scheme the government decides on.” (OrangRojak)

    OrangRojak,
    Najib already announced on TV that he would not implement nationwide internet censorship
    because of these two reasons:
    1) It is technically ineffective to implement such a censorship on internet;
    2) The censorship will create public dissatisfaction.

    For your information, many Malaysian homes do equip their TV with a satellite disc without a government license. I was quite surprised to find that the sellers of the satellite disc were some sales girls who usually wander around the housing estates and villages soliciting for sale. Once the deal had been agreed upon by the home owner, one of these sale girls would deliver it within two hours and the on-the-spot installation only took less than 1 hour. The Chinese sales girls are definitely having a much higher work efficiency than a typical Malaysian working gentleman! If a satellite disc for Personal Computer is needed, I believe the sales girls will always be around to provide their service to the Malaysian people.

    As for the filtering scheme which you suggest that the Malaysian BN Federal Government may adopt in order to filter website access through the satellite transmission, I bet that the Malaysian BN Federal Government will never have the brain power to accomplish the scheme which you suggest here! I personally dealt with a so-called computer expert from Bukit Aman in the past. I know how far this half-past-six people can go. The real good computer expert has long since left the Police Force because a true computer expert does not need to survive on corruption practice! Moreover, it also a big shame for the true computer expert to stay on working together with a group of filthily corrupted people!

  43. #43 by Onlooker Politics on Saturday, 8 August 2009 - 1:52 am

    Moreover, it IS also a big shame for the true computer expert to stay on working together with a group of filthily corrupted people!

  44. #44 by OrangRojak on Saturday, 8 August 2009 - 4:23 am

    Corrupting influences???
    You know, opposition politicians, artists, liberals, people who laugh, people who take off some clothes when it gets hot, or drink beer or enjoy sausages, like their music loud – that kind of corrupting influence.

    I still wonder about satellite Internet in Malaysia. If there was a restriction on ISPs, and the satellite dish provider was a Malaysian company, I’d imagine they’d be subject to the same restrictions. If they weren’t a Malaysian company, I wonder if you’d (legally) be able to point a dish at their satellite. I see only Astro dishes everywhere – does nobody point their dish at a different TV satellite?

    Interesting about the Najib / Rais good flip / flop, isn’t it? I saw that earlier. There’s not really any issue with making Internet censorship work – they do it already with DNS poisoning, so Najib’s (1) and (2) is not convincing, as that is the status quo! I wonder what Rais was attempting, unless it was just another healthy commission for someone. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you Internet censorship isn’t workable. You think Hu Jintao would continue with it if it didn’t work? You’ll always hear about the spotty teenager who manages to circumvent the blocks, but that leaves 1 billion others who don’t know what he knows…

    The government wouldn’t care that 20 people knew how to access m2day when its DNS record was poisoned, they were thinking about the 2000 people who couldn’t be bothered to listen to the spotty teenager’s solution.

    Moreover, it IS also a big shame for the true computer expert to stay on working together with a group of filthily corrupted people!
    I think that every morning when I wake up! Haha, no I don’t, but I might tomorrow!

  45. #45 by cemerlang on Saturday, 8 August 2009 - 10:53 pm

    Every surf you take, every click you make, every single access, every web you go to, they are watching you. Somebody is sure eager to play Big Daddy. And somebodies are expected to behave like nice little kiddies.

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