BACKLASH was instantaneous when Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim announced on 7 Aug 2009 that the Malaysian government was planning to filter the internet. Apparently modelled after China’s Green Dam software, Rais said the Malaysian filter was intended to weed out online smut, especially where children were concerned. “Those who [...]

PUTRAJAYA, 4 Aug 2009: The prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, today urged internet users to wisely screen information in cyberspace, and not be easily influenced with defamatory and seditious messages. She said this was because of the current trend where technological advancement was used to disseminate such messages. “The advancement in information technology [...]

Going “green” properly requires many considerations (© Steve Woods / sxc.hu) FOR many of us, the colour green symbolises the environment. Individuals, organisations and countries are going green, not just because it’s popular but more importantly, because it’s crucial to the sustainability of this planet we call home. However, a recent “green” move by the [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 June 2009: Most Malaysian youths keep up to date with the news, but almost half say they mistrust the sources they get it from, according to the Merdeka Center‘s 2008 National Youth Survey. Ibrahim Suffian “There is skepticism over the news they are getting in the mainstream media as well as the [...]

The 2008 winner, Nazim Mohammed Esa (Pic courtesy of BMW Shorties) AS the BMW Shorties enters its third season, it is throttling up its use of the internet to promote the annual short film competition aimed at nurturing young filmmakers in Malaysia. One telling sign is the range of social media tools on the BMW [...]

(Laptop image by Manu Mohan / sxc.hu; artwork by Scott Feldstein @ Flickr) KUALA LUMPUR, 16 June 2009: Pornographic websites are among 38 “offensive” sites which government servants are blocked from accessing. In addition, a 2003 government circular to civil servants warns them against downloading or uploading material that may disparage the government’s image or that [...]