Silencing Cyberspace

Here's a talk I'd love to go to if I didn't have to be somewhere else Tuesday night. I hope that it gets written up in detail on the blogs. I took this from Jeff's blog in the passed on passed on nature of internet things.

SILENCING CYBERSPACE - THE FINAL FRONTIER?

Date: 6 February2007 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall

Speakers:

* Mr Yeo Yang Poh, President of the Malaysian Bar Council
* Mr Jeff Ooi, Pioneer Malaysian Blogger
* Ms Sonia Randhawa, Executive Director, Centre for Independent Journalism
* Mr Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader
* Mr Lim Guan Eng, Secretary-General of DAP

As of today, we have the Printing and Publications Act 1984 which provides that it is a criminal offense to possess or use a printing press without a licence granted by the Internal Security Minister. The Minister is given "absolute discretion" in the granting and revocation of licences, which is required to be renewed on a yearly basis.

We do not require such an Act to govern us in the cyberspace. The Bill of Guarantees of the Multimedia Super Corridor project assures us, Malaysians, and the world that there will be no censorship of the Internet.

Whatever your take on the case at hand (the NST v. Jeff and Rocky Bru) the debate that is thrown up is vitally important, and freedom of speech must be safeguarded.

The Centre for Independent Journalism meanwhile offers a downloadable copy of a Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents produced by Reporters Without Borders which should be compulsory reading for all who venture online.

As the blurb says:

Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.

Zedeck Siew, Kakiseni editor, echoes my sentiments too when he writes:

Ahirudin and Jeff Ooi (of Screenshots, who is also being sued) are de facto public intellectuals, providing commentary on Malaysian issues for the Greater Good; this censure -- considering the NSTP has a plethora of alternative actions to debunk Rocky and Jeff’s opinions, avenues that would not stink of hammer-headed censorship -- is like impaling someone just to improve his posture. A government sanctioned sula, too. Our Prime Minister: “They cannot hope to cover themselves or hide from the laws.” We thought we were done with the Middle Ages.

My apologies for not giving you your fix of biblionews earlier in the day - my internet connection is still giving me big problems, but should be fixed tomorrow.

Malaysian Bloggers Sued

Am deeply shocked by the news that Malaysian Bloggers Jeff Ooi and Rocky aka Ahirudin Attan are to be sued by the New Straits Times over their whistle-blowing re. former editor Brendan Pereira's (alleged - let's play safe, no matter what one really feels) plagiarism of a Mitch Albom article.

All I intend to say about the case here is that I feel that it is really sad that the whole issue could not have been handled without gun-slingers needing to turn up at high noon. But then it really is, as BBC correspondent Jonathan Kent said earlier, a case of new vs. old media. There's a subtext, and it's one all bloggers should tune into.

Lim Kit Siang agrees:

As these are the first two cases of Malaysian bloggers being sued for defamation, it will have far-reaching consequences for the healthy, mature and democratic growth for free speech and expression, not only on the Internet but in the country as a whole.

It's not often I plug a law book on this blog but might I suggest that all parties purchase and read immediately Richard A. Posner's newly published The Little Book of Plagiarism which the New York Times describes as "a useful and remarkably concise overview of the subject". The book sets out to address such questions as:

... what exactly is plagiarism? How has the meaning of this notoriously ambiguous term changed over time as a consequence of historical and cultural transformations? Is the practice on the rise, or just more easily detectable by technological advances? How does the current market for expressive goods inform our own understanding of plagiarism? Is there really such a thing as “cryptomnesia,” the unconscious, unintentional appropriation of another’s work? What are the mysterious motives and curious excuses of plagiarists?

and most importantly in this case:

What forms of punishment and absolution does this “sin” elicit?

Also go read Rocky's blog (and he's looking for a lawyer to represent him).