Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network --------------------------------------------------------------------- ## author : media@WEB.NET ## date : 01.09.99 --------------------------------------------------------------------- SINGAPORE TO RELAX CENSORSHIP LAWS AS IT SEEKS TO EXPAND INTERNET ACCESS Issue: International/Censorship Singapore says the Internet is forcing it to relax some of its strict censorship laws. In the past, it was easy for Singapore to keep out books, movies and magazines by simply banning their distribution. The government still prohibits home satellite dishes, has forbidden key opposition politicians from delivering outdoor speeches and can take the licenses of publishers deemed too controversial. But with 20% of Singaporeans connected to the Web, forbidden items are just a mouse click away. The government blocks more than 100 pornographic sites, yet acknowledges that citizens can easily look at thousands of other porn sites. But Singapore's citizens are still fearful. A bureaucrat told an local Internet service provider to scan 80,000 e-mail accounts of university researchers for pornographic material and in April, Singapore's internal-security agency secretly scanned 200,000 private computers. Many users saw these happenings as a demonstration of the government's technical capability to pry. "Singapore Internet users are always fighting the censorship in your own mind, the perceived fear .. that someone will come knocking on your door," says Harish Pillay, who heads Singapore's Internet Society. The government also hasn't softened its rules for local Internet content providers, which can be sued under Singapore's laws -- but when it comes to the business community, the government has been willing to back down. Under a law enacted last year to help attract foreign investment, Internet service providers are no longer liable if their customers use their services to visit forbidden sites. The government plans to look at lifting of a 1997 ban on political campaigning on Singapore Web sites and strengthening privacy protections for Internet users. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (A18), AUTHOR: Michelle Levander] (http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB936129677738516588.htm) ---------------------------------- Send mail for the 'huridocs-tech' list to 'huridocs-tech@hrea.org'. Mail administrative requests to 'majordomo@hrea.org'. For additional assistance, send mail to: 'owner-huridocs-tech@hrea.org'. Archives of previous messages posted to the list can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/huridocs-tech/markup/maillist.html
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