The government said today it would seek other ways of curbing "the spread of lies and seditious materials" online after earlier plans for an Internet filter were apparently scrapped.

A source had earlier told Reuters the government was cancelling a tender for Internet filter that drew comparisons with China's "Green Dam" project and triggered an outcry from opposition politicians as well as criticism from industry bodies.

rais yatim pc 020709 01 Information Minister Rais Yatim dismissed reports of any Internet filter , saying that three ministries have been asked to study alternative means of policing sedition, fraud and

child pornography on the Internet.

"They have been tasked to look into the matter and report back on finding a better approach in solving the matter," Rais told reporters in Putrajaya.

He said that the ministries involved would look at instances of sedition, fraud and child pornography on the Internet to provide law enforcement agencies with the necessary information.

"This has been done today (at the weekly cabinet meeting)," he told reporters after the launch of the Fly Jalur Gemilang campaign by Prime Minister Najib Razak, here.

The ministers involved are the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, information communication and culture minister and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz.

"They have been tasked to look into the matter and report back on the various possible ways to address the issue," he said.

Tender to be cancelled

Earlier, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, which issued the tender, said it was a study on Internet usage so as to boost Malaysian content on the Internet and that reports of a filter were "sensationalised".

But a copy of the tender documents, seen by Reuters , appeared to contradict that statement.

NONE The documents said the proposal was to: "Evaluate the readiness and feasibility of the implementation of the Internet filter at (the) Internet gateway level."

It would study gateway filters in countries that had implemented such measures and "find out (their) suitability for the Malaysian environment".

"The tender is going to be cancelled," said the source, who had direct knowledge of the tender but declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The Information Ministry came up with the proposal for the filter in April, but the idea was apparently blocked by Prime Minister Najib Razak, the source added.

Last Friday, Rais confirmed that the government was considering imposing an Internet filter to block pornographic websites.

China backed down on ‘Green Dam’ software

Malaysia wants to double broadband usage to 50 percent of its 27 million population by the end of 2010.

That could bring more people not only into potential contact with pornography but also with the country's opposition. Last year, the opposition handed the government its biggest-ever losses in elections, spreading its messages via the Internet to get around Malaysia's generally pro-government mainstream media.

China backed down on its 'Green Dam' software, which it said was aimed at halting the spread of pornography, under pressure from the US, human rights and industry groups.

News of the Malaysian Internet tender emerged after the government arrested almost 600 people in an anti-government protest earlier this month.

It raised concerns that the government would crack down on the Internet, a popular medium for voicing criticism of the Barisan National coalition that has ruled the country for 51 years.

Firewall project could cost RM200 mil

The firewalls, which the source said could have been introduced six to eight months after the study was completed at the end of this year, could have cost in the region of RM200 million to implement.

The issue of unfettered access to the Internet is important economically for Malaysia, which has attracted investment from technology companies with promises not to censor.

Its Multimedia Super Corridor, set up in 1996, attracts investments worth RM1.6 billion annually, according to industry data.

Najib has announced a series of economic liberalisation measures to attract foreign investment and diversify Asia's third-most trade dependent economy away from its reliance on electronics and commodities exports.

He said last week that filters were not effective.

Boosting banking, finance and the knowledge economy, all of which are helped by fast Internet connections, are key planks of Najib's economic strategy.

- Reuters/Bernama