[11914] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Will / how will the Internet "scale up"?: Thailand 1998
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jack Kessler)
Thu Jan 8 20:26:48 1998
Date: Thu, 08 Jan 1998 14:58:59 -0600
From: Jack Kessler <kessler@well.com>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
A government hearing will be held in Bangkok next Thursday, January 15, to
discuss a question which may be of interest to everyone here:
The Thais want to censor the Internet. They have assembled a list of
"subjects not to be touched" -- including "religion", "Immoral
information or information which is against the culture and norms of the
nation", and "Inappropriate information concerning the King and the Royal
Family" -- and their proposed "Internet Promotion Act" will prohibit
these. Already there is heavy arguing between the Thais and the Internet
Society, and even the ACM now, over whether and to what extent to support
or oppose this.
One side declares that "Freedom of Information" is "universal". The other
responds that it is "American", and that the other values -- "religion",
"cultural values", "the King and the Royal Family", and so on -- are more
important in the local Thai context.
Increasingly this is becoming _the_ international Internet development
issue, and _the_ international "information" issue insofar as the Internet
is becoming information's most common carrier: are local values to be
ignored, or are they in fact more important -- are values like "Freedom of
Information" truly "universal", or are they just "American"? Both of
these sides could work together, in fact -- but that's not how the issues
generally are being framed, presented, and ultimately fought over
nowadays, certainly not in this Thai case.
I hope that librarians, and anyone else here with an interest in Thai
affairs, will attend next Thursday's hearing and participate in that
debate. More, though, I hope that Internet advocates here will give one
more general think to the question of whether "the pipe is neutral", or
whether this new technology looks more like cultural imperialism -- as -
currently - presented -- to overseas eyes?
Jack Kessler
kessler@well.sf.ca.us
