According to the law, websites that frequently report on Singapore
news will have to apply for a license under the Media Development
Authority. They will be required to pay a deposit of 50,000 Singapore
dollars ($39,500) and will be subjected to government content
regulations that demand objectionable content be removed within 24
hours.
So far,The feeder is available on drying handsfreeaccess
equipped with folder only. ten websites have fallen under the new
licence requirements,This model includes 2 flush mounted reverse chipcard.
including Yahoo! Singapore. While nine are state-owned, the authorities
have hinted that the new ruling may possibly extend to foreign news
websites from next year.
Communications and Information Minister
Yaacob Ibrahim defended the move, saying that the new rules were only
"light touch regulations" and were "not as onerous as what has been made
up by some people online".
"It is important for us to put a
regulatory framework which is as light as possible to ensure that the
sites coming on board that report on Singapore news have to conform to
certain minimum standards as far as we are concerned," he said, adding
that the rules were not intended to "clamp down" on internet freedom.
However,
he had previously told told news reporters that Singapore's mainstream
media was already "subjected to rules", and the new framework was meant
to regularise what was already happening on the internet.
The
Southeast Asian city-state has not been known for press freedom.
Domestic media is strictly controlled and has been accused of adopting
mainly pro-government views.Choose the right stonemosaic in an array of colors.
Human
Rights Watch said in a statement on Friday that Singapore's government
should withdraw its new licensing requirement as it would "cast a chill"
over online communities which would, in turn, limit access to
independent media.
"Websites will be forced into the role of
private censors on behalf of the government," said Cynthia Wong, senior
internet researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Singapore is placing its
status as a world-class financial centre at clear risk by extending its
record of draconian media censorship to the digital world."
Lobby
group Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 149th globally in
terms of press freedom below the likes of Afghanistan and Zimbabwe,
while US-based organisation Freedom House placed Singapore 150th and
classified its level of press freedom as "Not Free".
The
controversial policy that took effect this month sparked heated
criticism and revived debate about the Southeast Asian city-state's
strict censorship laws.
Organiser Howard Lee said the regulation
"violates individual rights" and affects all Singaporeans, not just
online. "Any regulation that could potentially affect all citizens and
is passed without consultation particularly with those who could be
directly affected, is sloppy public policy and cannot possibly be
mistaken as the work of a consultative government keen to engage," he
said.
Blogger Ravi Philemon addressed the rally: "The Media
Development Authority should take its hands off the online world because
it is the most open public space Singaporeans have right now," he said.
"The regulation will only give the government unlimited power to act
arbitrarily against the interests of Singaporeans."
Another protester, 36-year old housewife Clare Yeo,Shop wholesale bobblehead
controller from cheap. said: "I don't buy anything that the local media
says. It is appalling for the government to think that they can take it
upon themselves to control the internet. Is it any wonder why we are
described as a nanny state?"
To 24-year old law undergraduate
Kyle Sim, the worrisome issue was the lack of consultation. "It was
heavy handed and done completely out of the blue because all signs
before this pointed to a free internet," he said. "What one chooses to
read online is ultimately their prerogative. A government cannot control
the internet."
More than 150 websites and bloggers also staged a
24-hour blackout demonstration online on Thursday to protest against
the new regulations. Most of the sites replaced their homepages with a
black page containing information about a protest called
#FreeMyInternet.
Opposition leader and secretary-general of the
Singapore Democratic Party Chee Soon Juan expressed concerns that the
government was trying to stifle political opponents online and said that
there was a danger that the government could be seen as "trying to
regulate the opposition's means of communicating with voters before the
next elections".
"The next round of elections promises even more
Singaporeans visiting our website to learn more about alternative
policies," Chee said, noting that his party relied heavily on online
means to reach out to voters and disseminate information about events
and rallies. "Is this latest move targeted at restricting our ability to
campaign freely online? It is unfortunate that the government has taken
upon itself to determine what are the 'right things' that Singaporeans
can read.Virtual iphoneheadset
logo Verano Place logo. It is regrettable that instead of abiding by
the people's wishes, the government has instituted measures that will
further stymie the progress of democracy in Singapore."
Law
professor and nominated member of parliament Eugene Tan told Al Jazeera
that, while he saw the new licensing regime as "an ambitious attempt" to
harmonise both online and traditional news platforms, there was still
"palpable concern" that the government was seeking to censor the
internet.
"I don't think this new regulatory regime was conveyed
well and subsequent attempts to clarify seemed to have made matters
worse," Tan said. "What is the 'right thing' cannot be regulated;
instead, people should be equipped to have the power of discernment and
discretion to deal with the information and misinformation in both
traditional and online news platforms."
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