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For updates, click on
TODAY IS INTERNET BLACKOUT DAY (TUESDAY 14 AUGUST 2012)
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HOW TO GET THE POP UP!
Dear friends in civil society,
Don’t forget: Please join the Internet Blackout on Tuesday14th August!
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Malaysiakini
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Internet Blackout Day has been dubbed a success due to immense support from various news portals, public figures and personal blogs, among others.
The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), which organised the campaign to oppose Section 114A of the Evidence Act 1950, said it is pleased with the coverage.
“The campaign is a big success. (Twitter trend) #Stop114a is trending worldwide and it is now in Malaysia’s Top 10 trending list,” said executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah (left) when contacted this afternoon.
This campaign also garnered much support on the social website Facebook.
The ‘likes’ on the page themed ’1Million Malaysians against Evidence (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2012′, had increased from some 2,000 yesterday to more than 30,000 at the time of writing.
“People are not only spreading it on Facebook, but they have even closed their websites for 24 hours to support this campaign,” Masjaliza said.
Websites that have closed down for 24 hours to show their support include those of the Bar Council, NGO Empower, and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang.
Others showed their commitment by adding ‘Stop 114A’ pop-ups, banners and articles.
Social activist Marina Mahathir’s blog, PAS organ Harakah Daily, legal forum Loyar Buruk and Malaysiakini are among the websites involved.
Even non-political websites like popular online forum Cari.com.my, prominent automotive-themed blog Paultan.org and gadget portal mobile88 have participated.
Internet Blackout Day hits Twitter Top 10
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Malaysiakini
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7:04PM Aug 13, 2012 |
Several bigwigs in the Internetscene are throwing their weight behind the ‘Stop 114A’ campaign in a bid to reverse an amendment to the country’s Evidence Act that presumes guilty owners of online networks that are misused by others.
One of the most prominent websites to join the fray is the Malaysian portal MOL, an online payment service that has a presence in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Netizens visiting websites in support of the campaign by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) will – for 24 hours – be greeted by a black pop-up with information on the newly-gazetted Section 114A to the Evidence Act.
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nternational attention as well
“The Blackout Day has also received international attention – highlighted in tweets by popular whistle-blower site WikiLeaks and global digital freedom NGO Access Now,” Masjaliza said.
Malaysian online stores lelong.com.my and mudahalih.my are similarly joining the effort while other commercial sites such as entrepreneurs.my and nexusmediaworks are also on board.
Also backing the blackout campaign are popular hangout sites with substantial followings, such as cari.com.my and jbtalks, resource and community sites such as anixekai.com, LoyarBurok, mobile88 and edu.joshuatly.com.
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“The Internet Blackout Day pop-up is also being supported by news sites Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini, Digital News Asia, The Nut Graph, bfm, Merdeka Review, and party organ news sites Harakah Daily, Keadilan Daily and Roketkini.
“On Twitterverse, the campaign is also supported by @sultanmuzaffar – who has 248,119 followers and @klubkiddkl with 223,105 followers,” said Masjaliza.
Among those also in solidarity are the Bar Council, Suaram, Women’s Aid Organisation, Aliran, Kajian Politik untuk Perubahan, Research for Social Advancement, Relevant Facts, Sparkling Analysis (Refsa), Sinar Project, SEACeM, Tindak Malaysia, Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), Lawyers for Liberty, Perak Women for Women, Empower, Women’s Centre for Change, All Women’s Action Society (Awam) and Sisters in Islam.
Bloggers who have pledged to support the pop-up to promote the Stop 114A campaign include Marina Mahathir, Hishamuddin Rais (Tukar Tiub), Uppercaise, Nat Tan, Niki Cheong, Anil Netto, Juana Jaafar, Sarawak Bloggers, Fahmi Fadzil, myasylum, she added.
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More information about Internet Blackout Day can be found on the official Stop 114A campaign blog or its Facebook page.
Internet heavyweights rally against Evidence Act change
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Bar Council Malaysia to take down its Bar website on Internet Blackout Day!
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Malaysiakini
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4:44PM Aug 13, 2012 |
DAP will suspend all its online activities tomorrow in solidarity with the Internet Blackout Day in protest against the recent amendment to the Evidence Act that critics say will curb Internet freedom.
“The DAP national headquarters will suspend all of its online activities for 24 hours after midnight on Aug 14 in support of the Centre for Independent Journalism’s (CIJ) ‘Internet Blackout Day’ campaign.
“For 24 hours, from midnight of Aug 14 to Aug 15, the official websites, Twitter accounts and Facebook accounts of DAP Malaysia will not be posting any updates, news or activities,” it said in a statement today.
Also to go dark is the website of the party organ’s Roketkini.
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Meanwhile other sites such as popular forums cari.com and jbtalks.com, news portals Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today, civil society websites Women’s Aid Organisation and Aliran, top blogs and even famous commercial sites will be uploading a pop-out on their sites in support of the campaign.“We are suggesting that they upload the pop-out at midnight on Aug 14 but some have already uploaded it,” Masjaliza said.
A check with the Bar Council website showed that it has already uploaded the pop-out, prior to going on its complete shutdown tomorrow.
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Malaysian Insider
Malaysia’s Internet Blackout Day tomorrow gets wider support
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 ― The campaign against a law threatening to curtail freedom of expression on the Internet here has widened, with more organisations promising to take down their websites on the Internet Blackout Day tomorrow.
The Centre for Independent Journalism Malaysia (CIJ) said the Bar Council has confirmed taking down their website to support this while the DAP is also shutting down all its websites on August 14.
Tech-savvy DAP leader Lim Kit Siang and human rights lawyer Edmund Bon have pledged to go offline for 24 hours while others will support a pop-up to promote the “Stop 114A” campaign. They include Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, Hishamuddin Rais (Tukar Tiub), Uppercaise, Nat Tan, Niki Cheong, Anil Netto, Juana Jaafar, Sarawak Bloggers, Fahmi Fadzil and myasylum.
CIJ said the Internet Blackout Day pop-up is also supported by news sites Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini, Digital News Asia, The Nut Graph, bfm, Merdeka Review, and party organ news sites Harakah Daily and Keadilan Daily.
“The Blackout Day has also received international attention ― highlighted in tweets by popular whistle-blower WikiLeaks and global digital freedom NGO Access Now,” the organisation said in a statement today.
The Internet Blackout Day initiative is aimed at creating awareness among Internet users about the negative impact of an amendment to the Evidence Act regarding online expression, and takes its cue from similar efforts in the United States and New Zealand in support of internet
CIJ said internet users who visit participating websites tomorrow will see a pop-up window that will contain the message of the campaign. In addition, users may also change their profile pictures/avatar on Twitter and Facebook to black or use downloadable images provided by CIJ.
Malaysia’s Internet Blackout Day tomorrow gets wider support
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Malaysiakini
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Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah will rally BN parliamentarians against the recent Evidence Act amendments, he told a forum on the law in Kuala Lumpur today.
Saifuddin said this when a member of the audience at the Bar Council forum asked what he intended to do about the Evidence (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2012, having voiced his misgivings about it.
“First thing, I will call KJ (Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar) and say we are partners in crime again… and I know a few other BN parliamentarians who are as sympathetic and understanding as KJ and myself.
“I think we have to send a message, loud and clear, to our bosses that we need to review this………
“I know it has just been gazetted, but it happened in the past where we have amended what has been amended,” Saifuddin said in response.
He added that it would be for the good of the public to repeal the amendment, which he described as a “hiccup” in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s transformation plans. “As a BN guy who supports progressive, democratic reforms and someone who believes in a more mature democracy, I take this as a ‘hiccup’.
“In plain words, I don’t need this. Not when I am going for the next general elections,” said Saifuddin, adding that it would be difficult for him to explain why the amendment would not amount to internet censorship.
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Saifuddin to rally BN MPs against Evidence Act
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Malaysiakini
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9:17PM Aug 11, 2012 |
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin urged the government to revise the recently amended Evidence Act of 1950.
Saying there was still room for improvement to ensure the freedom of website hosts and owners, he added,” The provisions referred to relate to the freedom and accountability of web operators.”
“I have raised the issue of the burden of proof to the attorney-general and Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz, for the government’s consideration,” he told reporters at the 1Malaysia Perdana Tadarus and Khatam Al-Quran at the As-Syakirin mosque today.
He was commenting on a text message from Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah which stated that the Act still had some flaws.
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– Bernama
Saifuddin to rally BN MPs against Evidence
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Malayiakini
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1:23PM Aug 9, 2012 |
The DAP is backing the call for an ‘Internet Blackout Day’ on Aug 14 by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), saying that the recent amendments to the Evidence Act discourage people from sharing on the Internet.
“This clearly runs contrary to the objective of making Malaysia one of the most ‘connected’ countries in the world,” the party’s national publicity chief and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua said.
CIJ said the Internet Blackout Day next Tuesday is part of its drive against the new Section 114A of the Evidence Act, which will muzzle Internet freedom.
The Evidence (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2012 is an infringement on the rights of Internet users and the government should repeal it immediately, Pua said in a statement today.
CIJ’s ‘Internet Blackout Day’ gets DAP backing
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Netizens against Evidence (Amendment) (No2) Act 2012
3464 Signatures  |
http://www.facebook.com/events/347825561966741/
http://stop114a.wordpress.com/
Petition Background (Preamble):
1. Akta tersebut bertentangan dengan prinsip asas keadilan yang menyatakan bahawa seseorang tidak bersalah selagi belum dibuktikan kesalahannya. Seksyen 114A yang baru diperkenalkan itu boleh mengakibatkan seseorang disabit secara salah dan menjadi mangsa penyalahgunaan kuasa oleh pihak tertentu.
2. Akta tersebut juga menjadikan pihak yang membekalkan perkhidmatan di internet seperti blog, forum dan pengehosan web bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya atas segala isi kandungan yang tersiar atau tersimpan di dalam perkhidmatan tersebut. Pengenalan akta ini boleh menyebabkan ruangan komen pada blog dan laman web yang mempunyai peranan penting dalam dunia interaktif dibuang.
3. Akta yang diperkenalkan ini mengancam kebebasan berinternet kerana tanggapan atas kesalahan yang belum dibuktikan boleh menakut-nakutkan pengguna-pengguna internet yang memanfaatkan internet sebagai satu medan interaktif untuk perbincangan mengenai demokrasi. Akta ini juga menghindarkan pengguna internet daripada mengutarakan pendapat bernas mereka.
4. Akta yang baru diperkenalkan ini juga membolehkan para penggodam dan penjenayah internet bermaharajalela kerana beban kesalahan kini terletak di bahu pihak yang akaun atau komputernya digodam. Secara tidak langsung, para penggodam dan penjenayah siber akan dilindungi oleh akta ini kerana hanya individu yang menjadi mangsa mereka sahaja yang akan disabit kesalahan.
5. Akta tersebut mengurangkan kebebasan individu untuk mengelakkan identiti mereka diketahui ramai. Kebebasan tersebut penting untuk memastikan internet kekal bebas dan terbuka. Penyembunyian identiti juga penting untuk melindungi individu daripada sesuatu yang boleh membahayakan keselamatan mereka contohnya dalam kes keganasan rumahtangga. Selain itu penyembunyian identiti juga akan memastikan pemberi maklumat tidak akan diapa-apakan oleh pihak berkuasa apabila mereka membongkar kes penyalahgunaan kuasa.
6. Akta ini merupakan akta yang tidak digubal dengan baik kerana penggubalan dibuat secara tergesa-gesa tanpa penglibatan rakyat dan tidak menghiraukan kehendak awam.
Perlu ditekankan bahawa akta ini masih belum digazetkan dan dikuatkuasakan lagi. Oleh sebab itu, akta ini perlu segera ditentang dengan cara menandatangani e-petisyen ini.
Petition:
The Netizens against Evidence (Amendment) (No2) Act 2012 petition to Malaysian Government was written by Centre for Independent Journalism and is in the category Internet at GoPetition. Contact author here. Petition tags: internet freedom, inernet, freedom of information, evidence act, evidence act amendment, media
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Malaysiakini
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10:47AM Aug 8, 2012 |
The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia is to launch an Internet blackout day next Tuesday in the drive against the introduction of Section 114A of the Evidence Act, which it says will muzzle Internet freedom.
The move is aimed at creating awareness among Internet users about the negative impact of the amendment on online expression.
CIJ executive officer Masjaliza Hamzah (right) said in a statement today the objective is for netizens to urge the government to withdraw the amendment which, together with a few other laws, was passed hastily in the April sitting of Parliament and gazetted on July 31.
“The amendment has raised concerns from many quarters, such as lawyers, activists and Internet-based businesses. Under that section, an Internet user is deemed the publisher of any online content, unless proven otherwise,” Masjaliza said.
“It also makes individuals and those who administer, operate or provide space for online community forums, blogging and hosting services, to be liable for the content published.
“This presumption of guilt goes against the fundamental principle of justice – that one is innocent until proven guilty – and disproportionately burdens a person who may not have the resources to defend himself in court.”
The amendment’s wide reach, Masjaliza said, would affect all Internet users, websites that provide space for online comments, and any business premises that give free Wi-Fi access to their customers.
This new section was enacted despite the fact that existing laws – including the Computer Crimes Act 1997, Sedition Act 1948, Defamation Act 1957, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 – have been used to arrest and charge those who commit defamation, fraud and sedition online.
Human rights lawyer Edmund Bon has also argued that the amendment Section 114A was not necessary as police could obtain evidence by other means, and not hold hosting services liable.
Pakatan Rakyat MPs have also called for the revocation of the section as it muzzles the Internet media.
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CIJ to launch Internet blackout day next Tuesday
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weehingthong 
yeah! i support it too~ =)
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