Malaysia's Broken Internet Promise
• posted by Dan Gillmor 12:04 PM
• permanent link to this item
CNN: Raid silences Malaysian news Web site. According to the operators of
the Malaysiakini Web site, essential computer equipment needed to update
and manage their online news service was confiscated in the raid. The
authorities, who moved in at lunchtime local time, said they were taking
the action because a letter, published on the site had made false
accusations and questioned special rights accorded to ethnic Malays.
As part of its efforts to lure Western technology companies to the
"Multimedia Corridor" outside Kuala Lumpur, the government of Malaysia
promised it wouldn't censor the Internet. Promises by governments are often
worth nothing, and that's apparently the case here.
I visited Malaysiakini's offices about 15 months ago, and was blown away by
the energy and journalistic fervor the people there were showing. I wrote
in my blog, "You've heard the old expression that freedom of the press
belongs to those who own a press. Here, freedom of the press belongs to
those with a Web server."
It was always a somewhat forlorn hope. The government has been relentless
in censoring and controlling the traditional news operations. It plainly
figured that the websites were beneath notice, since so few people had
access. Once enough people started getting information -- other views than
what the government wanted them to see -- that attitude undoubtedly was
reconsidered.
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