Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Malaysians protest against internet law


Malaysian activists and bloggers are protesting against the newly introduced Section 114A to the Evidence Act 1950 with the campaign Internet Blackout Day, which started this morning replacing home pages with black screens.  

The initiative is aimed to create awareness among Internet users about the negative impact of the amendment on online expression.

According to the law (Section 114A), an Internet user is deemed the publisher of any online content unless proven otherwise. It also makes individuals and those who administer, operate or provide sites, responsibles for content published through its services.

"In other words, if defamatory comments are posted on a blog, the blog owner is likely to be sued or charged with criminal defamation”, Malaysiakini said in a statement on its website. Therefore, this presumption of guilt goes against the fundamental principle of justice.-New Europe Online (August 14, 2012)

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