Sen. Revilla, Villar mulling creation of Internet censorship body?

Naiinis ako kasi ngayon ko lang napansin ito, although Oct. 31 pa siya lumabas sa PDI.

TO COUNTER ONLINE PORN
Cybercafe chain urges creation of Internet censorship body

First posted 10:51am (Mla time) Oct 31, 2005
By Alexander Villafania
INQ7.net

Internet café chain owner Netopia is urging the government to create a censorship body to monitor data flowing through the local Internet infrastructure.

The proposed censorship body will operate similarly to the Movies Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) and provide guidelines for the compliance of Internet service providers.

Netopia has presented several recommendations to Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Manuel Villar, co-chairs of the Senate committee on public information and mass media and two staunch advocates of activities to counter the proliferation of pornography on the Internet.

Netopia President Raymond Ricafort said he has been meeting with Revilla and Villar on their plan to create regulations against online pornography. Ricafort clarified however that the proposed Internet regulatory body will not have total control over local Internet loops, but instead prevent pornographic materials from being distributed through local ISPs, which have primary control over the data that travel through their servers. Ricafort added that Internet regulation and proper implementation could significantly limit the amount of indecent materials reaching users in the Philippines.

“The government can discourage users from visiting indecent web sites in the same manner that they discourage adult films,” Ricafort said.

NO NO NO NO NO!!!! Not another MTRCB type to censor the net. Next thing you'll know, hindi lang pornography ang ise-censor kundi mga political content rin na kontra Arroyo.

There's a discussion of that proposed internet censorship body here in Pinoyexchange.

Sadirmata from Pinoyexchange comments:

ano ba naman ito? ano, nasa singapore, china o middle east ba tayo kung saan sine-censor ng gobyerno nila ang internet at pinaparusahan ang maraming internet users?

masama ito. sana huwag pansinin ng gobyerno natin ang kagustuhang ito ng netopia. later, hindi na lang porn ang idadahilan para i-censor na ang lahat ng mga bagay na gustong pigilan at ipagbawal.

I agree with Sadir.

With Arroyo allies Sen. Bong Revilla and Sen. Manny Villar in charge of creating this body, nothing good will come out of it -- except for the fact that this will only give the the Arroyo admin more tools to censor the information we get from the Net.

Gusto yata ng Arroyo adminstration na gayahin ang China.

China cracks down on sex and violence on websites

Here's the crucial part from that PDI article re china na pwedeng mangyari rin sa Pinas:

Although the campaigns mainly target sites that contain sex and violence, those with sensitive religious and political content are also often banned.

The Chinese government announced revised Internet rules in September that require Internet operators to re-register their news sites and police them for content that can "endanger state security" and "social order."

Any content that "harms national security, reveals state secrets, subverts political power, (and) undermines national unity" is also banned.

The regulations further prohibit posts that "instigate illegal gatherings, formation of associations, marches, demonstrations or disturb social order."

If this new Revilla-Villar proposal for an intenet MTRCB is approved, then nothing can stop Arroyo from fully applying CPR on some anti-Arroyo websites.

Rebecca McKinnon: China: "The Internet is forbidden from inciting illegal protests."

China's efforts to control online news is being sold to the public by their media as an effort to protect innocent citizens from pornographers too.

Additional questions:

Aside from the information provided in the article, what else do we know about this Raymond Ricafort of NETOPIA? Maka Arroyo ba ito?

Stalking Horse ba siya ng admin para i-introduce ang internet censorhip bill na ito?