Source:
ReutersFri Aug 7, 2009 5:09pm EDT
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia denied on Friday that a proposed Internet filter would be used to police blogs and websites, saying it would be used only to block pornography.
The denial comes after news that the Southeast Asian country was considering setting up an Internet filter similar to China's "Green Dam" software, a move the opposition said was aimed at suppressing political dissent.
While Malaysia has used sedition laws and imprisonment without trial to prosecute one leading political blogger, censoring political websites is not the aim of the filter said Information Minister Rais Yatim. "The safety of our children is not an Internet game. We will find any way to ensure we are free from the culture of pornography among children," Rais told a news conference in the Malaysian capital.
"Those who call themselves liberals should look at what has happened to other countries who have become victims, where child sex occurs and pornography is widespread," he said.
Malaysia's argument echoes China's rationale for a planned filter to stamp out Internet pornography that drew criticism from the United States and the computer industry.
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