SECTION_NAME:WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER NOT <BR>ANSWERED BY 3.00 PM

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WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER NOT
ANSWERED BY 3.00 PM

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INTERNET CHATROOMS

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16.

Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts in view of Microsoft's recent decision to close its chatrooms worldwide, (a) what measures are in place to prevent Internet chatrooms from becoming a haven for sex predators; and (b) whether these measures are adequate given a number of reported cases in Singapore of men using the Internet to prey on young girls.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mdm Halimah Yacob has expressed concern over the possible use of Internet chatrooms by sex predators to prey on the young and questioned whether the safeguards we have in place today are effective.

The nature of the Internet makes it impossible to insulate users entirely from its contents. Experiences in other countries have shown that regulatory controls per se are not effective in preventing the inflow of undesirable content. Hence, we have adopted a pragmatic three-pronged approach to safeguard our young from undesirable content and activities on the Internet and, in particular, chatrooms. This involves legal enforcement, industry regulation and public education.

There have been several high-profile cases of men using the Internet to prey on young girls. The Police take a very serious view on such crimes and where offences have been committed, they will investigate thoroughly and prosecute apprehended offenders. While the Police have been successful in this aspect, we recognise that enforcement action only serves as a strong deterrent.

Therefore, we established the National Internet Advisory Council in 1996 to work with the industry to reduce the potential for Internet abuse. Our Internet Service Providers have voluntarily provided their subscribers the option of using Family Access Networks to filter out undesirable sites. Under the Media Development Authority's Internet Code of Practice, content providers are required to abide by guidelines on discussion themes when they host chat facilities. The industry has also taken steps that include moderating popular chatrooms, requiring user registration, taking disciplinary action against abusers, and collaborating with the Police in furnishing information on sex offenders. We see Microsoft's recent closure of unmoderated chatrooms as a positive move. We hope to see more of such industry initiatives and the MDA is prepared to support and work with any industry player to facilitate this.

However, these precautionary measures, while effective, can only work well for a fraction of the chatrooms available on the Internet. The vast majority of chatrooms accessible to Singaporeans are hosted overseas and beyond our regulation. We cannot prevent the naive and curious from accessing what they wish within their own confines. Therefore, the public, in particular parents, must take their own preventive actions to protect their children. Simple skills governing online behaviour, such as not giving out personal details and not meeting strangers acquainted through chatrooms, are all basic common sense precautions that go a long way in curtailing the problem. Like many other everyday habits, these must be taught and inculcated by parents and teachers in our schools.

Hence, the MDA has supported measures to educate the public on online safety. It has made available an Internet Public Education Fund to support projects that raise awareness on the precautions for safe access of the Internet, especially by the young. The fund has supported the work of volunteer organisations such as the Parents' Advisory Group for the Internet (PAGi) which promotes online safety awareness to parents. Since 1999, PAGi has reached out to more than 62,000 people directly through its outreach activities, including campaigns on MTV Asia and Nickelodeon to educate young viewers on chatroom safety.

The Internet has opened up many new opportunities and pathways for businesses and individuals to exploit and explore. Unfortunately, it also harbours many dark alleys where unsuspecting people could become the exploited and victims of criminals. No measures that we put in place can be 100% effective in protecting our children from all the danger areas in the Internet. What we can do, short of shutting off access to the Internet, is to prepare every Internet user to face the dangers when venturing into this cyber-world and to equip users with the common sense and values to cope with undesirable elements which may be encountered. To this end, we must join force as the Government, the industry and the community to make the Internet safer and educate and prepare our young for a society where the Internet will become an increasingly common feature in our life.

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