VIEWPOINT: Have no fear, even though the Internet is already here

We all fear that which we do not know or understand, and China has apparently responded to the Internet out of this fear. But with the medium in its infancy, surely the best move would be to work with, not against, website owners and ISPs. As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them Last week, China announced a new set of regulations aimed at maintaining control over the Internet. The new regulations made website owners liable to prosecution if state secrets were posted or transmitted through their sites. More worryingly, the restrictions also extended to email users, who were also forbidden from copying or transferring state secrets. The immediate problems are obvious and two-fold: first, the definition of what constitutes a state secret are deliberately vague, leading some industry watchers to believe that this is a deliberate move on the part of the authorities to allow them to prosecute anyone they wish to. Secondly, how to enforce and police such restrictions? As Mr Charles Mok, chairman of Hong Kong ISP HKNet observed, it is impossible to know the content of every single website, chatroom or email. In theory, you could. But how long would it take, and at what cost? China's action on the issue of the Internet comes as little surprise to anyone. It has always maintained stringent control over the media operating in the country, and has frequently shut down those which it deems subversive or unsuitable for public consumption. The problem with the Internet is that by its very nature and the rapidity of its development, trying to control it would be like trying to carry water in a leaky bucket - it works for a while, but sooner or later everything drips through the cracks. For advertisers and agencies, the issue is a potential minefield. It is a small step from controlling content to controlling advertising banners and links - perhaps even marketing or branding websites. China's authorities are relying on website owners to police their own content, and either delete or report possible infractions. At this stage, there appears to be no central body overseeing the enforcement or interpretation of the new rules. This leaves just about everyone whistling in the dark. According to OutBlaze CEO But Yat Siu, even the Singapore government has given up on attempts to gain total control of Internet access by its citizens, because any moves along these lines would impede the development of the medium. We all fear that which we do not know or understand, and China has apparently responded to the Internet out of this fear. But with the medium in its infancy, surely the best move would be to work with, not against, website owners and ISPs. As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them. And no one can beat the 'Net.

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