Control on internet junk mail -precursor to control of net

robertteh SG

Every time the government tries to do something good it actually ends up doing worse. When it said it wanted to provide racially balanced election, it actually tried to use that as an excuse to prevent opposition parties to win seats.

Now we are told that to prevent racism, there is a need to control bloggers' posting racially offensive posts in blogs.

It sounds too good to be true that government now wants to prevent junk mailing. .. by private companies. But is it true that junk mail is such a problem?

It is probably more true that the government actually wants to prevent posting that criticise the government.

Below is the latest news reported in CNA (21.5.2006) on its proposed control of net mass mailing. Although such mass mailing might be a problem, it will be worse if government steps in as it will use the same law to further restrict citizens' last freedom to give their views on running of the country.

What do you all think?

SINGAPORE: A committee that is looking at how to protect private information, is expected to submit its report to the government next month.

Experts believe one of the key features of the upcoming data protection law is clamping down on private companies that collect and disseminate your personal information freely.

Currently, when a person fills out their personal information on forms or lucky draw coupons, the companies will usually store your information in their databases and disseminate it without the person's knowledge or permission.

The upcoming law will likely make sure that will not happen again.

Experts believe the law may be ready in about 2 years.

"Data collectors would have to get your consent if they're going to use it for direct marketing and if you discover that your particulars are being used by direct marketing by a particular company, you'd have a right to go to the company and demand that they stop doing it. It's the sort of thing I could envisage in the legislation coming," said S Suressh, a partner at Harry Elias Partnership.

Singaporeans are increasingly using the internet to conduct transactions.

So it's timely for the government to study and develop laws to protect personal details.

"As we develop, there're more and more demands for rights and one of the rights is of course the right to privacy. So the government's probably decided that we have reached a certain level of development and that businesses can probably cope with the increased burden and cost of this," said Asst Prof Terence Tan from the Law Faculty at NUS.

The existing laws cover mainly government agencies such as the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, requiring they protect your personal information.

But data collection and protection are unregulated among private companies, which will change with the coming of new laws. - CNA /dt

Copyright © 2006 MCN International Pte Ltd

Ito_^ SG

this time i have to disagree with you.

junk mail problem is really bad. not only it abuses your trust in companies that have your information, it also causes network congestion.

alwaysdisturbed SG

as well as wastin a lot resources...

LazerLordz SG

It's high time we get a data protection act.In fact, it will be better so that govt agencies have to be regulated against unauthorised sharing of information unless given expressed permission in writing. Evil or Very Mad

robertteh SG

I agree with you junk mail is a really bad problem.

But I am wary of government's increasing its power if the power can be extended to cover defamation over the internet which as a medium is not as public as the mass circulation newspaper.

Then I think if such control is really to be introduced we need to learn from past bad experiences and this time not to listen too quickly what it says is the real purpose. We cannot be over-trusting the government with too many presumptuous do-good action and must examine its ulterior motive and gerrymandering underhand.

Any controls over the net whether for racism or junk mailing must be extremely cautious and be strictly limited and confined to only one specific purpose and not open ended or interpretational to cover e.g. racialist remarks or defamation stuff which can give the power that be even greater power to curb freedom of expressions or views.

Do you see : laws can be gerrymandered to give government more absolute powers to curb citizens' rights and freedoms.

hisoka SG

erm actually what has this got to do with mails??

from what i read in the article, it says about getting in some privacy laws for information collected by companies, isn't that good??

robertteh SG

I agree that such power should be spelt out in data protection act to give citizens the protection needed and if citizens' data are infringed government is also accountable.

In this way, the use of net can be more positive thereby contributing to our progress cosmopolitan status and future vibrancy as information and financial hub.

ShutterBug SG

Well, Robert,

It could be well meaning on the part of junk emails and there is a lot of questionable marketing tactics on the Internet these days.

However, it would by typical of them to do something under the guise of another thing. But I think if they want to try and control the Internet, they will have been doing so all these years eversince the Internet became available to us. They could have been trying like heck all these decades and still getting either little progress or none at all.

The internet is really too vast. Only way is for them to ban the Internet if they are that paranoid.

How can they be so stupid? Even if there are alot of people critisicing them, it doesn't mean they will be ousted. In fact, the very people who are criticising them also agrees that there is no one else who can run Singapore as well as they have so far! Unless of course, a competent party comes into existent in the future.

So right now, this is all speculation. No one can fully control the Internet, the only way is to shut out the Internet if they are really that INSECURE!

DUMB!

robertteh SG

Why they cannot do anything? Because internet as a media is different from traditional mass circulation newspaper. If someone did something wrong or alleged defamation over the internet, that act is borderless and not controllable in the usual way.

If someone is to be charged for downloading pornagraphy in internet, can we charge someone who did that act who might have posted from overseas website.

Fundamentals and dynamics are totally different and have to be re-visited in all existing laws and not punish our citizens when others can get away scot-free. Have they understood such problems and if they have not then how can they govern.

LazerLordz SG

Sometimes...

Don't you guys wonder where we went wrong, if they actually eventually carry out such paranoid actions?

When totalitarianism is allowed to run unchecked, the population is partly at fault.This is not a state I would want to raise my kids in.

robertteh SG

Judging by past records of performance, I agree with your view that they will do it to build the brand name for the red dote is where leadership and not diversity has succeeded.

There will be showcases on how there are proper conduct in blogging and internet websites, where administrators will have to be professionally qualified with licences to practise renewable on yearly form submitted by JGs.

The citizens will be brought up to believe in dangers of racism and communal riots and everyone will agree that this is good for the red dote.

Citizens will be very good in their daily chores emphasising on what they can do for the country not issues and problems like upgrading of estates as they will be taken care of.

Forget about the hand phones, as there will be foreign phones to call from as podcasting can be rather risky business that may cause riots.

"Guilty of lying will be good for country as any mistake in submitting form can be rather risky business that affect reputation of our business hub"

the Bear SG

uhh.. data protection and blogs are different things...

LazerLordz SG

I was being rhetorical, you seem to have lost us somewhere along the line...

mochou SG

i have one real email, which my frens know, and they use to contact me. I never use it to fill up any form, or use it to resgister any thing on the net.

I have another hotmail account, which my frens dont even know it. I use this hotmail address to register things on the net, so even my address is exposed, it's ok, cos i dont check mail from there, i just empty the whole mail box once in a while. As long as when i register something, i can retirieve the password/Auth mail so that i can activate the thing, then it's ok. All other mails are junk mails, i just delete everything. And it's really horrible, all sort of junk mails. If all these junk mails goes to my real email address, it's really irritating.

robertteh SG

Ok, I might have strayed off course. I was more concerned with overall intellectual space.