FOUR ACTS TO CONTROL NETWORK INFORMATION IN WEBSITES

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- The senate was told that all network
information including internet website contents were subjected to control by
four laws enacted in the country.

Information Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim said the laws were
the Sedition Act 1948, the Penal Code, Internal Security Act 1960 and
Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.

The CMA 1998 contains several provisions on prohibited contents including
Sections 211 and 233 which disallowed posting of phonographic materials,
obscene, false, threatening or unpleasant in nature with the intention of
disturbing, to torture, irritate, victimise and threaten other people.

Therefore Dr Rais said any action taken by the Communications and Multimedia
Commission would be based on the network containing immoral elements or
unpleasant news.

"It is not the broadband which has to be blamed or considered responsible in
transmitting immorality and unpleasant news, but the contents of each network.

"Thus, the authorities will focus more on the contents, and broadband is not the
entity to be blamed," he said in reply to question from Senator Dr M Malasingam
in the senate Tuesday.

Commenting further, the minister said 405 complaints had been received involving
contents with pornographic elements (207), threatening or unplelasantin nature
(196) and false or obscene materials (two).

"This goes to show that complaints made by the people had been acted upon
quickly by the commission," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Rais also explained that the regulations regarding the opening of
ciber cafes were under the juridiction and responsibility of the local
authorities in the area concerned.

However, he said, if there was any complaint on the programme contents in the
computer which violated the law, the commission had the right to take
appropriate action on the matter.
-- BERNAMA