Govt resorting to extreme measures against new media

CIJ warns of 'cyber warfare' to curb new media

Media freedom watchdog Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) foresees the government resorting to more "extreme measures" to control the Internet and new media in the coming years.

"In dealing with the far more independent online platforms, the state is clearly attempting to employ a much broader stratagem of control and influence," concluded the NGO in its 2011 Freedom of Expression report.

This, it added, is in tandem with more traditional means such as the Printing Presses and Publication Act, the Sedition Act and similar staples in "controlling the message in the traditional media by using the same methods it has used for decades".

It has not seen any evidence that the BN is committed to respecting and upholding media freedom and freedom of expression; indeed what is evident it claimed, are more attempts to curtail such freedom and expand the ambit of government control.

As evident to this claim, the report pointed to recent statements by BN leaders on the need for a "cyber warfare unit" to counter issues brought up by the opposition on the Internet.

Such initiatives have seen pro-Umno bloggers becoming more vocal and commonplace.

DDOS attacks

The CIJ expressed concern that the anonymous Distributed Denial Of Service (DDOS) attacks which blocked access to alternative news websites such as Malaysiakini and Sarawak Report, may be another facet to such cyber warfare preparedness and a precursor of dire things to come.

The NGO also highlighted the worry over the proposed Computing Professionals Bill which would require all those working in the computing industry to be registered by a government-appointed board.

In particular, it noted, there is a broad definition - bordering on the ridiculous - of those needing to register being seen as a means to put computing professionals under the government's thumb.

"In light of these actions and the likelihood of a general election in 2012, extreme measures to control the Internet seem possible in the coming years," warned the report.

By Hazlan Zakaria Msiakini