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Editorial: Dumb and dangerous
Fri, 04/11/2008 12:32 PM | Opinion
The first thought that came to mind when the government said it planned to block Internet sites that host the anti-Islam documentary Fitna was: What a dumb idea. Those who understand how the Internet works know full well that you cannot censor this medium, unlike television, radio and newspapers. You can block particular sites, but those who look hard enough can find Fitna, the hate documentary produced by a Dutch politician, elsewhere in the ever-expanding virtual world.
Sure enough, in the past few days, those trying to access YouTube from Indonesia found the site was no longer accessible.
YouTube, one of the most popular file-sharing communities on the Internet, hosts the film. The government gave it a few days notice in demanding the removal of the film from YouTube and other similar file-sharing sites. When this demand went largely ignored, Indonesia-based ISPs, at the behest of the government, started blocking access to YouTube and other sites on Wednesday.
Voila, the Indonesian government makes its first foray into censoring the Internet. What a futile effort. What it has done is not quite censoring, for Fitna can be still found on numerous other websites and blogs. Instead, the government has deprived Indonesians access to one of the world's most popular file-sharing communities. This is like the Indonesian expression, "to catch a rat, you burn down the entire rice barn. The rat escapes, and you are left with a razed barn".
YouTube, which is owned by Google, is one of the latest wonders of the Internet. It allows people around the globe to share videos of all kinds. Yes, there are the hate documentaries, far worse than Fitna, posted there.
But by and large, this file-sharing community does more good than harm. Indonesian artists seeking to penetrate the global film industry have a chance to break the mold through this medium. Talents that otherwise would have been ignored can now find space, and perhaps their big break, through YouTube.
Education, the dissemination of information and exchange of cultural products are just some of the areas that benefit tremendously from sites like YouTube.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must have received some frighteningly dumb advice when he, at a press conference, demanded that YouTube remove Fitna from its site. There was no way YouTube would have complied, and besides, now that the site is blocked, people can still get hold of the film.
It is not clear who the President was trying to appease. The religious conservatives? They too are among the prime beneficiaries of YouTube. What the President has done is to alienate millions of Indonesians, particularly the young generation, who find file-sharing communities on the Internet not only useful but an indispensable part of their lives. If Barack Obama is appealing to the young Internet generation to vote in this year's presidential election in the United States, Yudhoyono seems to be doing exactly the opposite.
Those dumb advisers could not have been completely ignorant of the ineffectiveness of Internet censorship. The fact that they went ahead, and the President took their advice, sends a disturbing sign that they are not only dumb, but also dangerous. It shows a mindset that takes us a decade back to the era of censorship.
We see the signs in the present administration's efforts to restore some form of control over the media. The plan to review the 1999 Press Law, the latest draft of the Criminal Code that reinstates restrictions on freedom of expression and the new law on the cybermedia with its censorship clauses all point to an administration ever eager to give itself some control over what society reads, listens to and views.
Indonesia's commitment to freedom of expression and the right to information, both of which are guaranteed in the Constitution, are now being put in doubt. When Indonesia hosts the next Global Inter-Media Dialogue in Bali, President Yudhoyono will have to answer a lot of questions about his own personal commitment to guaranteeing freedom of expression in Indonesia.
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Soemarwoto, K (not verified) — Sun, 04/13/2008 - 5:50am
If a person were to enter a house merely with the interest to harshly offend the owner, I would personally expect the host to at the very least kindly show them the exit.
Obviously, those who put major effort and time with a passion of more than one thousand firing suns into obtaining the movie will eventually find it one way or another. Has the ban therefore lost all its purpose? Banning Fitna by means of blocking YouTube does not necessarily have to be unconditionally interpreted as an intentional act by a desperate overly sensitive government to disrespect freedom of expression.
Although the method applied by the government is highly inefficient (as it is at the same time blocking public access to the websites that contain Fitna), I would not go as far as calling the decision to ban dumb and dangerous. The ban defends the nation from such insults that the movie contains. They have shown the offender the exit, which is understandable and might be better for the national ego. That would after all be a purpose.
Paul Jones (not verified) — Sat, 04/12/2008 - 11:41am
You are absolutely right except for the fact that from the early announcement I have been able to access YouTube without any disruption just from my Speedy-ADSL connection in Jabotabek. Also MySpace was accessible as long as you took the waiting time for grantage (but what's new with 'Speedy' related to the speed of a turtle?)
The Minister of Information & Communication is making himself anyhow very popular...A real Charmer!.... Pornography....... YouTube..... Now the affair with Astro making a complete fool out of himself in the weekend of the biggest Premier League game suspending a license because Astro has not paid a mere US$ 20,000? Do not make me laugh....Last Tuesday Astro signed a deal for solid rights...Are the Cronies here in Indonesia so upset and are they paying the Minister more than Astro does in Cayman Islands to make life for many, many people miserable and damaging the business of restaurants, cafe's etc where millions of people go in the weekend to see soccer because of a mere US$ 20,000 not paid in licenses? Who is believing that hilarious statement?
A real charming guy, the Minister for Information & Communication...making apologies afterwards for trying to block YouTube.....Next week he will say sorry for missing Mu-Arsenal...the week after that he realizes he cannot watch his favorite sex movies during lunchtime and he cannot go to the massage parlor because they are locked up as well... HELP!!!!!!!! and the next apologies will come up....
What a pity for that "leader", What a pity for the country being lead by those kind of fools! What a presidential error to appoint these fools! Who elected these "leaders?"