Combating Anonymity or Anti Democrasy

Berita Harian's frontpage headline yesterday reads: "Ghost" blogger banned. No more anonymous blogger? 

Afraid? No, just surprised. Why are we surprised and not afraid?

Is it because when "ghost" blogger or anonymous blogger are banned, it would mean the end of our profession. It will mean us so-called elitist blogger, as some blogger wish to label us as, will not get to collect fee in the million ringgit a year for each blogger.

Hope they reveal the paymaster correctly because we sure could use few hundred thousand to patch our old leaky air-con vent and put a deposit for a Lambourghini similar to the one bought by a condo dweller near Seri Pacific hotel.


Afraid?

The issue of being afraid is hardly an obstacle. Otherwise, why the heck would we be writing and making brave remarks and expose?

Off course, they will be those claiming we are brave because we are anonymous.

Frankly we are not that anonymous. Many people know of us.

If we are anonymus, why is it someone told us of an attempt to sue us. Since our lawyer (quite famous and a mamak, mind you how those of subcontinent origin) told us there is nothing to be worried, we ignored any legal threat or summon.


Maybe the chap said that to us because we are supposed to be pro bono.

Actually, we are not afraid because we do not care for those civil lawsuit. After going through half a century of living. we have nothing more to be afraid of what is on earth.

Our only fear is if truth is not known or we are on the wrong side of the truth.  

No Licensing 

But, we are surprised that such an important statement about banning anonymity is not reported in The Star. The report below:

Thursday June 13, 2013

PM Najib: Govt won't impose licensing for news portals

By WONG PEK MEI

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will not impose licensing requirements for news portals, as implemented by neighbouring countries, said the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"Instead, to maintain the country's harmony, the federal government will enforce laws already in place to ensure that action is taken against anyone who fans hatred and racial sentiments or belittles the monarchy, and those who try to subvert the parliamentary democracy," he added.

Najib said this in his speech at the presentation ceremony of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI)-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2012 here Wednesday.

He said the people must be mature and ensure social media was not misused.

"We must create an environment where there are principles and values as well as responsibility towards anything published in social media," he said.

He suggested a "positive control" to ensure that there was responsibility and that information published did not go against any laws.

The Singapore government recently announced that online news portals that regularly reported on the city state would be required to procure a licence, effective June 1.

Perhaps, it is reported in the News Straits Times. 

Frankly, we welcome the position taken by the Prime Minister. Self regulation or self discipline is the way to go. If there are bloggers or social media practitioners and commentators that got out of line, let the existing law takes it's course.

Provide budget to MCMC, police and public attorney to monitor and enforce the law. What is stopping them since MCMC have the IPs of all users. 

Anonymity

On the subject of banning anonymous bloggers and commentors, will Blogspot.com cooperate to change the blog registration, sign-in and commentator format to insist in real names for used only for Malaysian?

Can Blogspot.com verify if the names are genuine?

If foreigners used to operating anonymously decide to blog or comment when in Malaysia, are we to refuse them Internet used?

If Blogspot.com refuse to cooperate because anonymity is an accepted practise on the Internet worldwide, will MCMC block out blogspot.com sites totally? Before trying to answer, remember that the Bill of Guarantee of the Multimedia Supercorridor guarantees no censorship on the Internet.

Supposed they still get to implement the ruling to use actual names, can someone guarantee that the practise of using  pseudonym is no more practise in newspaper article, books, etc. Otherwise it is not fair to the bloggers and social media commentator.

Assuming Blogspot.com refuse to cooperate, will the Government refuse access to Google.com? Google.com had a collaboration to develop a Malay website. Will it mean the end of that collaboration and investment?

How will the government make Blogspot.com to agree?

Could it be to get Google to sign an agreement with the government for those criteria and term of usage in Malaysia to be acceptable? Or move Google headquarter from the US to Malaysia?

One thing for sure is that combating anonymity for non political use will only anger the public towards government. 

Misses


We have the strange feeling that someone must have written a report based on a circulated text that was not used by the PM in his speech.

Should the remark be true, it will be a case of some adviser or speech writer that do not understand the subject they advise or wrote.

If the government wants to address the excesses of lies, spin and slander on the Internet by the opposition, other than using the process of law enforcement, they should understand how the opposition cyber propaganda works?

But then again, PM will not impose a licensing requirement on news portal.

Let's leave it at that cause we can't give away anything for cheap. We have to be true to the allegation that Rocky's gang got millions millions and millions.

That is quite a multiple sum when compared with the acknowledged million given to certain state outfit. Read it somewhere in one of the Sarawak blog.

Strategy

Frankly, with such amount, the whole BN cyber warfare can do much better than the present state and the heads can do his work more effectively.

With so much hype over Red Bean Army, we hope we will not be doing trend following like the rush to create bloggers after the 2008 general election. It seems everybody want to start an army, talk about combating the army and think they know what cyberwarfare is about.

First task is to understand the terrain.

Red Bean or Green Peas or Blue Bonnet, the secret lies in the strategy. Any strategy need someone who understand how it works and how to orchestrate a war like Patton or SunTzu, to lead. No time for theoretical first timer to act as general.

If proper strategy formulation is done, they should realise they do not need too much infantry. Unless, someone has other reasons.  

Wink wink ...  we've got a leaky air-con vent. And we need to patch up the ole parkey too.

- Another Brick in the Wall