From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 16:38:08 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Background on Singapore net-censorship
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9604091414.A1621-0100000@well>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Michael, here's the message I was forwarded. Thanks to Joon-Nie for 
corrections to the articles I included, mainly from the NYT/WP and the 
Reuters/AP wire.

-Declan


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 96 03:57:22 EDT
From: Lau Joon-Nie <joonlau@pacific.net.sg>
Subject: [Fwd: Re: International Net-Censorship Efforts Update]


Spotted this in a newsgroup, but I would caution readers against wholesale
reliance on its contents without some official verification as not all of
it may be entirely correct (at least the Singapore bits weren't - which I
have amended). 

rgds,
joon-nie

=========BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE=========

In soc.culture.singapore, "Declan B. McCullagh" <declan+@CMU.EDU>
wrote:

>I've just doubled the number of international net-censorship efforts
>that I track on my web page: <http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~declan/zambia/>.

>Included are new updates reporting on Germany, France, Australia,
>Singapore, Canada, and China, among others. Please send me reports on
>countries I've missed!

>-Declan

>--------------------------------------------------------------------------

>   
>                    OTHER INTERNATIONAL NET-CENSOR EFFORTS 

>                              By Declan McCullagh
>                                declan@well.com
>                     http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~declan/zambia/   
>   

>     France, China, Germany, Singapore, Jordan, the U.S., and many other
>     countries are moving towards tighter control of the Internet. France
>     and Germany want to see an international agreement of information
>     controls emerge. Recently China required all of its estimated 40,000
>     Internet users to register at the local police station. This
>     international crackdown marks a turning point in the development of
>     the Net.

>     
>  Germany
>  
>     Germany cuts off access to holocaust revisionist web site (1/96)
>     German Internet update, new laws planned (3/29/96)
>     Los Angeles Times on German vs. U.S. netcensorship (3/13/96)
>     German minister predicts collapse of governments (3/12/96)
>     Germany's CompuServe net-censorship (12/31/95)
>     
>  France
>  
>     French government bans controversial book (1/96)
>     French Jewish students sue ISPs for revisionist materials (3/14/96)
>     French Jewish students sue ISPs for revisionist materials (3/15/96)
>     France calls for "global Internet rules" (2/3/96)
>     
>  Europe
>  
>     Swiss statement on voice over Internet (3/16/96)
>     Sweden proposes CDA-type law to control Internet (4/3/96)
>     Italian net-censorship necessary, says Simon Wiesenthal Ctr (1/11/96)
>     Turkey cracks down on Internet (2/18/96)
>     Belgium bans non-escrowed encryption (1/10/96)
>     
>  Asia and Pacific Rim
>  
>     Singapore leader condemns Net (3/7/96)
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This phrase is at best vague. My guess is that he's referring to the news conference on 5 Mar 96 given by S'pore's Information and the Arts Minister Brig-Gen George Yeo where it was announced that S'pore would be implementing a regulatory framework to inter alia, block off objectionable sites, deem all content providers (except those "acting in personal capacity" - yet to be defined) as licensed, and requiring certain types of content providers (those publishing religious, political or racial content/discussions on websites, and certain online newspapers, in particular those already selling hardcopy versions in S'pore) to register themselves with the S'pore Broadcasting Authority.	

BG Yeo did not in any way "condemn" the internet. On the contrary, if my memory serves me correctly, he said S'pore was going full steam ahead with providing people with access eg. through schools, and that there were already an estimated 100,000 internet users in S'pore.

For full text of the news release, see:

http://www.antcrc.utas.edu.au/~kwe_chia/sef/SBA.html

>     Indonesia attacks Net (3/11/96)
>     Malaysia complains about uncensored Net, censors it (3/11/96)

Again, this is not entirely accurate. If I recall correctly, Malaysian Information Minister said some censorship was necessary and agreed with S'pore that ASEAN should work tog to come up with some standards. A day or two later, M'sian Prime Minister Mahathir said something to the effect that censorship was not possible and that education was the key. No active measures by M'sia as far as I'm aware of. Perhaps TM Tan can enlighten us. :)

>     Singapore censors political, religious net.info (3/6/96)

This was in relation to the news conference on 5 Mar 96 mentioned above on the *planned* regulatory framework. Details and legislation have yet to be tabled in Parliament so none of the proposals mentioned in the release have been carried out as yet although S'pore IASPs have, for several months now, been blocking off access to some 40-50 "objectionable sites" (read: pornographic) from a list given to them by the authorities. Framework details are expected within the next 2 months. Meanwhile a S'pore netter has submitted on 30/3/96 a petition supported by 40 signatories to the authorities against inter alia, regulation of political, religious, racial expression of ideas, and suggesting that govt ministries set up PR depts to counter such ideas if need be.
     
>  China
>  
>     China cracks down on Internet, "state security" cited (1/24/96)
>     China's anti-cyberporn efforts (2/4/96)
>     New York Times on China's net.crackdown (2/5/96)
>     China's history of Net-regulation, cyberporn concerns (1/1/96)
>     China requires Internet users to register with police (2/16/96)
>     U.S. State Dept criticizes China's net.censorship (3/8/96)
>     China applauds German net.censorship (1/11/96)
>     
>  Australia
>  
>     Australia considers net.legislation (2/13/96)
>     New South Wales tries net-censorship (4/3/96)
>     Australians upset by German Zundelcensorship (4/7/96)
>     
>  Canada
>  
>     Letter to Canadian minister (3/19/96)
>     Canada needs to regulate Net, says Simon Wiesenthal Ctr (2/20/96)
>     
>  Middle East
>  
>     Persian Gulf States reluctant to move online (4/6/96)
>     Jordan installs Internet screening facility (1/8/96)
>     Saudi Arabian government says no unrestricted Net access (1/10/96)

>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
=========END FORWARDED MESSAGE=========

*---------------------------*

	    Lau Joon-Nie
	joonlau@pacific.net.sg

"Even God has a Geiger-complex"
- Dr Aaron Shut, Chicago Hope -
*---------------------------*