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UNITED NATIONS: Southeast
Asia Seeks to Curb Abuse of
Internet

by Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 12 (IPS) - Some of the newly industrialised
countries of Southeast Asia are urging the United Nations to set up a
code of conduct to prevent the reckless misuse and abuse of the
global information superhighway, the Internet.

''All countries are beginning to understand that cyberspace is not just a
realm of shining promise but has its dark shadows wherein lurk dangerous
monsters,'' Singapore diplomat Veni Pasupathi said here.

Pasupathi Monday described the Internet as ''a pervasive medium'' that
attracts more than a million new subscribers every month. ''However, it is
also well known that the Internet is infested with violence, pornography,
sexual perversion and hate,'' she told U.N. delegates.

Singapore's appeal for regulation of the Internet is backed by at least two
other countries in the region: Malaysia and Vietnam.

The three countries, along with Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, and the
Philippines, are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and boast vibrant economies, rising incomes, and high-tech
industries.

Malaysia argues that while communication technology increases access to
knowledge and education, its abuse is already affecting social values.

''Propaganda, deviationist teachings, warped ideologies and pornographic
materials are being disseminated through the Internet,'' Malaysian diplomat
Abdullah Ahmad said Monday, adding that the desire to maximise profits
clearly took precedence over any regard for the political, religious, and
cultural sensitivities of communities.

Ahmad called on the international community to take concrete steps to stem
irresponsible acts on the Internet.

''Abuse of the Internet must be brought to an immediate end,'' he said. ''A
code of conduct must be developed to regulate the flow of information.''

Vietnam says an international code of conduct for information flows is a
must.

''Information activities should respect each country's cultural space, and
must not be used to damage the belief of peoples,'' Nguyen Thi Nha of
Vietnam said.

Singapore, long criticised by the West for suppressing individual liberties in
the name of the collective good, argues that access to information does not
mean surrendering ''our right to live as our own societies deem fit.''

A country whose international trade is 300 times its gross domestic product
(GDP), Singapore admits that it promotes the Internet ''aggressively
because we must be at the forefront of technology and prosper in the
global market of the future.''

About 20 percent of Singaporean households have Internet access,
according to the country's officials. But Singapore has taken steps to check
abuse and sleaze. The government is licensing Internet operators and has
blocked some sites on the World Wide Web.

In any event, say officials here, Singapore is expected to become a fully
wired society by the year 2000, with homes, businesses, and government
agencies inter-connected in an electronic grid.

Pointing out that Singapore ''does not hold itself as a model for anyone,''
Pasupathi said that many countries have suddenly awakened to problems
arising from the misuse of the Internet.

In an oblique reference to the United States, which has been critical of
Singapore's political repression and press curbs, Pasupathi said that ''even
subscribers to the principle of the First Amendment right are talking about
imposing restrictions.''

The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights in the U.S. constitution
guarantees free speech, a free press, freedom of religion, and the right to
assembly. The United States is considering a bill that poses fines and
prison terms for transmission of obscenity over the Internet.

''Regulatory gadgets that block out excessive violence and sex, such as the
(Violence) V-Chip, and Internet software such as NetNanny and SurfWatch,
are not Singaporean inventions,'' Pasupathi. ''Keeping the cyberspace
clean is a daunting task.''

Other countries are beefing up their on-line security.

Britain has updated its law on obscenity and pornography under the
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, making on-line transmission
of pornography an offence.

New Zealand has proposed fines and confiscation of equipment for Internet
offences, while Germany has already suspended worldwide access to more
than 200 on-line news groups containing pornographic materials, while
fighting the spread of neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic propagannda over
cyberspace. (END/IPS/TD/YJC/96)
___________________________________________________
Bruce Girard
Agencia Informativa Pulsar
Email: bgirard@pulsar.org.ec
http://www.web.net/amarc/pulsar.html
Tel: +593-2-525521  Fono/Fax: +593-2-542818 o 226648
Av. America 3584, Casilla 17-08-8489, Quito, Ecuador