YOUNG people who know the ins-and-outs of new technology will be a crucial resource for the Government as it shapes its policies for online content.
But it is not feasible at this stage to remove the Government from the equation, and leave the public as the sole moderator of the online world.
Aims chairman Cheong Yip Seng pointed this out yesterday, even as he called the idea of community moderation appealing.
After all, society had a big part to play in fostering a safe and harmonious online world, he said.
Still, it would be tough to rally a group of people who had the initiative, and credibility to be community moderators, said Mr Cheong and Aims deputy chairman, law professor Tan Cheng Han.
Among the issues that could crop up is whether the group would accurately represent a cross-section of Singaporeans, said Professor Tan. 'Or (would it) be just the intelligentsia or those who are more involved in new media issues,' he asked.
Mr Cheong also wondered if the online community, with its diverse, cynical and polarised views, could come up with all the appropriate and acceptable people for the job. 'There's a lot of what I would call destructive cynicism...How do you encourage the moderate voices to emerge? How does the community bring that about?'
He was responding to blogger Gerald Giam,deputy editor of current affairs blog The Online Citizen. He was among 13 bloggers who sent a joint proposal on Internet freedom to the Government in April.
They had asked for, among other things, moderation by a consultative body of citizens.
Prof Tan said he understood Mr Giam's sentiments. There was the feeling that the Government should not be involved in everything. But neither could the general public be left to look into all matters, he added.
Aims did not rule out a bigger role for the community in future, he said, once society became more familiar with ways to tackle new media and the issue of community moderation.
Speaking to The Straits Times later, Mr Giam said the bloggers would have to flesh out the idea before passing it to the Aims committee.
This story was first published in The Straits Times on 30 August 2008.
