Tonga commission to block online content

Transcript

The Communications Minister in Tonga says moves to create a new body with powers to block selected online content has addressed public concerns about internet usage.

Siaosi Sovaleni says bills passed through the house this month to protect children from misusing the internet.

Mary Baines reports.

If a website or internet connection is disseminating information deemed not good for the community, a new commission will have the authority to take it down. Mandatory filtering will also come into force which will block some inappropriate websites although people can apply to opt out of this. Mr Sovaleni says the changes in law answer issues that came up in public consultations.

SIAOSI SOVALENI: There were some concerns about the negative impact of the high penetration of using the internet and so forth so there are a couple of provisions that actually provide some measures to mitigate those potential problems.

Mr Sovaleni says it is important to keep child pornography and other such material out of the Kingdom, but peoples' freedoms will not be infringed upon in doing so. Tonga's Media Council says the government needs to clarify the moves. The Council's Pesi Fonua wants assurances that press freedom and freedom of expression will not be affected. Mr Fonua, who runs the news website Matangi Tonga, says there needs to be more defined lines when it comes to what is inappropriate online.   

PESI FONUA: When they talk about blocking things out, you don't know, they can block anything.  With the modern day to day news, whatever news comes through or we want to cover it, you google it or you go in to search for information.  There's a whole lot of sites you have to access to find information.  If they are going to have that privilege of blocking things, you can imagine there is going to be a problem.

Tonga's Secretary of Information is Paula Ma'u. He says when the Government in 2013 announced plans for high speed internet they also committed to putting in place measures that would protect the people from criminal activities. But Mr Ma'u says the new legislation will not infringe on legitimate media freedoms.

PAULA MA'U: It is not about the controlling of what they are reporting. This act, the new bill, is basically to protect them, and us, and students and internet users, from misuse and abuse of internet for criminal activities.

Paula Ma'u says it is also about ensuring the safety of the banking sector. He says there have been widespread public consultations about the changes being made.