Asia Overview
233
Conclusion
While important variations exist across Asia, a trend of increasing controls in the
context of growing connectivity is emerging in the region as a whole. This trend has
not been limited to authoritarian countries. On the one hand, Burma, China, and
Vietnam continue to expand and strengthen pervasive regimes of Internet controls,
while on the other, South Korea imposes more restraints on the freedom of online
speech than most other democracies, and Indonesia has begun to develop content
controls for online pornographic material. This emerging trend refl ects growing concerns over online content among governments in Asia as they struggle to balance
the growth of information communication technologies with their interests of maintaining social stability and national security, as well as sustaining cultural values.
Both increasing connectivity and growing Internet controls have given rise to contestation over Asian cyberspace among different actors. Civil society actors, including
netizens and activists, continue to use the Internet as a medium to broadcast their messages and to mobilize, organize, and resist state policies, while private actors struggle
with obligations to governments in monitoring and fi ltering those very messages and
forums of resistance. In India, such controls have tended to expand online civil society
activism, while in Indonesia, a vibrant civil society including bloggers, media associations, women, and minority groups stands ready to challenge the imposition of regulations that could restrict online content freedoms.
82 In China, opposition from domestic
and foreign PC makers as well as protests from angry netizens led the government to
delay the “ Green Dam ” fi ltering program ’ s installation in new computers.
83 At the same
time, following a series of cyber attacks on its infrastructure and on e-mails of Chinese
human rights activists, Google publicly challenged the country ’ s fi ltering regime when
it announced it would no longer comply with such regulations.
84
Citizens also compete with one another over the shape of cyberspace. In Bangladesh, the promotion of an “ Everyone Draw Mohammed Day ” on Facebook gave rise
to thousands of Bangladeshis protesting the social networking site and demanding an
immediate ban, while other groups took to the streets after the country ’ s telecommunication regulatory commission placed a temporary block on the Web site.
85 Other
actors have sought to shape the Internet through cyber attacks that target opposition
groups or forums for dissenting netizens. In Vietnam, cyber attacks on dissident groups
and movements occur regularly, with the recent Vulcanbot and Vecebot botnets representing increasing sophistication of attacks.
86 There is some evidence that the perpetrators of the attacks are a pro – Vietnamese Communist Party hacking group
concerned with reactionary online content.
87 In Burma, opposition media have seen
a rise of cyber attacks on their Web sites, particularly on politically sensitive dates.
Though some suspect such attacks to be state sanctioned, a lack of evidence makes
state attribution diffi cult. Nonetheless, these attacks are consistent with the government ’ s interest in strengthening Internet controls.
233
Conclusion
While important variations exist across Asia, a trend of increasing controls in the
context of growing connectivity is emerging in the region as a whole. This trend has
not been limited to authoritarian countries. On the one hand, Burma, China, and
Vietnam continue to expand and strengthen pervasive regimes of Internet controls,
while on the other, South Korea imposes more restraints on the freedom of online
speech than most other democracies, and Indonesia has begun to develop content
controls for online pornographic material. This emerging trend refl ects growing concerns over online content among governments in Asia as they struggle to balance
the growth of information communication technologies with their interests of maintaining social stability and national security, as well as sustaining cultural values.
Both increasing connectivity and growing Internet controls have given rise to contestation over Asian cyberspace among different actors. Civil society actors, including
netizens and activists, continue to use the Internet as a medium to broadcast their messages and to mobilize, organize, and resist state policies, while private actors struggle
with obligations to governments in monitoring and fi ltering those very messages and
forums of resistance. In India, such controls have tended to expand online civil society
activism, while in Indonesia, a vibrant civil society including bloggers, media associations, women, and minority groups stands ready to challenge the imposition of regulations that could restrict online content freedoms.
82 In China, opposition from domestic
and foreign PC makers as well as protests from angry netizens led the government to
delay the “ Green Dam ” fi ltering program ’ s installation in new computers.
83 At the same
time, following a series of cyber attacks on its infrastructure and on e-mails of Chinese
human rights activists, Google publicly challenged the country ’ s fi ltering regime when
it announced it would no longer comply with such regulations.
84
Citizens also compete with one another over the shape of cyberspace. In Bangladesh, the promotion of an “ Everyone Draw Mohammed Day ” on Facebook gave rise
to thousands of Bangladeshis protesting the social networking site and demanding an
immediate ban, while other groups took to the streets after the country ’ s telecommunication regulatory commission placed a temporary block on the Web site.
85 Other
actors have sought to shape the Internet through cyber attacks that target opposition
groups or forums for dissenting netizens. In Vietnam, cyber attacks on dissident groups
and movements occur regularly, with the recent Vulcanbot and Vecebot botnets representing increasing sophistication of attacks.
86 There is some evidence that the perpetrators of the attacks are a pro – Vietnamese Communist Party hacking group
concerned with reactionary online content.
87 In Burma, opposition media have seen
a rise of cyber attacks on their Web sites, particularly on politically sensitive dates.
Though some suspect such attacks to be state sanctioned, a lack of evidence makes
state attribution diffi cult. Nonetheless, these attacks are consistent with the government ’ s interest in strengthening Internet controls.