PORNOGRAPHY IN INTERNET AND SINGNET

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Information and the Arts what measures are employed to minimise pornography in Internet and Singnet.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: MITA has been working with National Science and Technology Board (NSTB), National Computer Board (NCB) and the Technet Unit of the National University of Singapore (NUS) to prevent easy public access to undesirable materials on on-line services, including the worldwide Internet.

Current services in Singapore such as Singnet and Technet, both local gateways to the worldwide Internet, have introduced measures to remove pornographic material. They include screening and eliminating newsgroups titles containing offensive keywords, periodic scanning of directories, and systemic spotchecking of picture files for obscene materials. A blacklist of newsgroups of dubious nature is maintained.

MITA has made its censorship guidelines available to the Technet Unit to facilitate monitoring work by Technet. MITA is also working with Technet and Singnet on ways to regulate the new technology. We can prevent easy access to pornographic material although we cannot stop it completely.

MITA is considering amendments to the Films Act to widen the definition of films to include materials on bulletin boards, and other on-line services. This will enable us to prosecute local operators who transmit objectionable materials and foreign operators who sell such materials in Singapore.