FW: SEA,NET: Tightening the Web (Time)

[Alex G Bardsley]

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http://pathfinder.com/@@Ue773AQAdSIjkH@Q/time/magazine/domestic/1996/960923/int
ernet.html

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TIME International Magazine
September 23, 1996 Volume 148, No. 13

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TIGHTENING THE WEB

AS CHINA BLOCKS SOME KEY INTERNET SITES, OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES PONDER
RESTRICTIONS OF THEIR OWN

ANTHONY SPAETH

Inside the China Computerworld Expo '96 last week, the chatter at the
booths was of networking through new, liberating technologies. But
outside the trade show, a different message was literally floated: a
15-m balloon, shaped like the Great Wall of China, emblazoned with the
characters IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY. A computer firm was the operator
of the balloon, but the message was one the Chinese government would
certainly approve as it labors to build its own wall around the
ultimate network, the Internet. The previous week the government began
a major effort to block access to various Net sites, including the
home pages of Western newspapers and magazines, the official sites of
the Taiwan government and the electronic editions of Playboy and
Penthouse magazines.

China is not alone in its quest for Internet shields. Starting this
week, Singapore will require its three Internet service providers to
funnel their traffic through a government-controlled electronic filter
that will automatically block access to selected sites. Two weeks ago,
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held a meeting in Singapore
to discuss a common strategy toward the Internet. "This meeting,"
frets Eric Lai, editor of Dataphile, a bimonthly magazine on the
Internet in Asia, "could be the cement that builds a consensus on
controlling the Internet"--which raises the fear that access in Asia
will not soon be as free as it was only last month.

The ASEAN participants admitted in a joint statement that future
measures "would depend on the culture and legal system of each
particular country," and it's difficult to imagine how such disparate
countries will ever concur. The Philippines takes pride in its social
freedoms, often contrasting them to Singapore's more controlling ways.
Thailand too favors a laissez faire approach. Malaysia, though
concerned about pornography and discussions that might create racial
discord, is reluctant to do anything that will keep investors from
moving to its new "Multimedia Supercorridor," an investment zone for
software and information-technology companies. "Acquiring and
accessing information is so critical in the global economy today,"
says Stephen Leong of the Institute of Strategic and International
Studies in Kuala Lumpur. "You cannot close the skies."

while all the countries share concerns over pornography, several have
political objectives as well. china doesn't want its citizens to have
access to uncensored news. singapore is less heavy-handed. the
government declined to list the sites it would block but spoke of
those that "may undermine public morals, political stability and
religious harmony." that disappointed some singaporeans. "it's sad,"
says an advertising executive, "that singapore persists in being the
narrow-minded, control-freak country that it is."

Existing technology will allow Asian governments to block access to
established sites, but they may not be able to unplug a critic or
dissident who sets up his own home page overseas. To avoid the
electronic filters, users need only change their Internet address
periodically. Ordinary citizens too can get around bans, though at
some cost. In Singapore, dedicated Net users are planning to maintain
unfettered access by jumping borders and dialing services in
neighboring Malaysia--giving a whole new meaning to the term
cybersurfing.

--Reported by Jaime A. FlorCruz/Beijing and Rahul Jacob/Hong Kong

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