But I sleep with my mobile phone!
This was the first thought that ran through my head when I heard of the MCMC chairman’s example used to ‘justify’ the latest amendment to the Evidence Act.
Yeah, I am referring to the controversial law that transfers the burden of proof to the website owner for the posting of slanderous content on their websites – whether or not it was posted by them, or any other anonymous person.
Mr Chairman said, “If you can produce witnesses to say that you were nowhere near your computer or any other communicating device at the time the message was sent out, you can get off (prosecution).”
My God, it’s hard to imagine the level of assurance this sentence gave at all: Zilch!
Honestly, think about it: These days, isn’t every one near a computer or a communication device AT ALL TIMES? I mean I even sleep with my mobile phone (at the bedside I mean)
How can anyone possibly prove otherwise?
Few can actually understand the authorities’ rationale behind the latest Dewan Rakyat ruling passed to ‘…safe-guard and protect victims against cyber bullies and stalkers’.
It is a huge step backwards in free speech, freedom of expression, and even basic human rights for the accused to disprove allegations against them.
If anything at all, such a ruling only does the opposite in encouraging those with evil intentions to pose slanderous remarks on the websites and Facebook walls of people or entities of their target.
It will be so easy to masquerade as anyone, and give your business competition a hard time by wasting their resources and time to prove their innocence that the postings were not theirs. The innocent will be made to suffer more.
Did anyone even think of this at all?
IT BYTES BACK! says: The real reason behind the authorities passing such a ludicrous ruling is obvious. But resorting to this easy way out to ‘control the negative effects of social media’ will also plunge the country back into Internet Stone Age.
