SINGAPORE: 'Light touch' on new media, but government alert to radical websites

Government to restrict access to websites that might pose a threat to Singapore

Straits Times
Thursday, June 21, 2007

By Leslie Goh

The Government is prepared to restrict access to any website with radical content that poses a threat to Singapore society, said Dr Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) yesterday.

Referring to the recent detention of a Muslim polytechnic lecturer for planning militant activities, he said it showed how self-radicalisation could take place on the Internet, even among well-educated individuals.

Governments had to be vigilant against this new threat, he said, adding that till now, Singapore had adopted a "light touch" when regulating new media.

"Despite the risks and threats, we believe that this is still the most practical approach to managing new media," he said.

However, the Government has to be alert and, "where necessary," would restrict access to websites which threaten society with an online "vortex of lies and distortion."

Speaking at the inaugural New Media @ Arts House forum, he raised the issue of the social impact of new media, and pointed out that radical sites posed as much of a problem as pornographic sites and sex predators in chatrooms.

The half-day forum, organised by the Media Development Authority (MDA), coincides with the Infocomm Media Business Exchange, the largest telco and media trade show now on.

The forum panel, comprising media specialists and Internet gurus, also took questions from the floor.

MDA's chief executive Christopher Chia, referring to the Government's "light touch," said there was no plan to "hire people to police websites."

His deputy, Mr Michael Yap, added that monitoring of the Web would be an ineffective exercise in any case, because "if one site was outlawed today, something would replace it the next day."

Responding to queries from The Straits Times later, an MDA spokesman confirmed that the Government did not maintain a list of websites with radical content.

But, picking up on the minister's point, the spokesman said MDA was "prepared to restrict access to websites that posed a threat to Singapore society with their radical online content."

The other panellists welcomed the opportunities provided by new media but also highlighted the dangers posed by it.

Professor Kishore Mahbubani, the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said that instead of bringing the world together and promoting understanding, the Web could lead to greater divisions.

For example, if right-wing people visited only right-wing websites and blogs, they would not be exposed to other views, and would become a closed community.

Film director Shekhar Kapur warned of the "rise of cultism."

He also feared that individuals who spent hours on their PC keyboards instead of going for face-to-face interactions could develop long-term psychological problems.

Mr Cheong Yip Seng, who chairs the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society, noted the different views on regulation of the Internet.

Some people wanted it to be free of legislation, others preferred some form of it to set a "moral marker."

But, he said, legislation had to be practical, because it would be "a lost cause if it could not be enforced."

MDA announced yesterday that its Media 21 masterplan for the interactive digital media industry would be updated before the year end, and renamed Media Fusion 2015.

Eight recommendations put forward by MDA's International Advisory Panel, which had met over the last two days, would be considered for the masterplan.

Some of the recommendations are that Singapore should:

  • Adapt content from films, TV programmes, music and published material for use in traditional and digital formats and platforms;
  • Identify a few national-level digital media projects;
  • Continue to invest in infrastructure, attract talent, and create an environment for creativity to flourish;
  • Leverage on its role as a gateway between the East and the West to be a centre for global enterprises; and
  • Enhance the use of digital media technologies and tools in the education, medicine and science sectors.

New media needs 'some form of regulation'

By Leslie Goh

More than 100 Internet gurus and academics spent the morning yesterday probing the social impact of new media, what it offers entrepreneurs here, and what role governments have to play.

The panellists at the inaugural New Media @ Arts House forum included well-known names both from here and abroad.

They included innovator John Kao, technology forecaster Paul Saffo, film director Shekhar Kapur, Linden Lab chief technology officer Cory Ondrejka, Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society chairman Cheong Yip Seng and MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow.

New media refers broadly to new technologies and communication methods such as websites, podcasts, mobile phones and interactive television.

At the end of yesterday's discussion, the panellists agreed that the forum had generated more questions than answers.

But they did draw four conclusions, which the forum participants will look at in greater depth to prepare for when they convene again next year.

Regulation

Although some panellists would prefer no regulation of new media at all, many argued that some form of legislation is needed.

It would serve to send a message that there are moral boundaries, and that bad behaviour will draw disapproval.

Business Opportunities

Traditional working models are being swept aside. Now, people working on a project can communicate simultaneously with partners around the world through, for example, Internet chatrooms and blogs.

Dr Kao gave an example of a travel e-business which has workers around the world. Some of them -- such as programmers in Bangalore and Web designers in the Philippines -- have never even met each other.

Digital Divide

New media may be forging ahead, but 85 per cent of the world's population still does not have Internet access. As governments and companies help close the gap, many business opportunities will spring up.

Mr Saffo pointed to initiatives such as the One Laptop Per Child project which aims to produce US$100 (S$150) laptop computers. Other low-cost computer projects -- such as that of local company eSys which sells an Intel Pentium 4 PC for $399 -- have come up as well.

Social Impact

New media will change behaviour, culture and society.

It will empower individuals and small groups by giving them the ability to create content and reach others.

However, although new media may strengthen community ties, there are concerns that it may lead to less physical interaction.

Date Posted: 6/21/2007