Plans to control obscene and indecent materials on the Internet mean well, but are drawn up with insufficient knowledge of the fast-growing network, Internet companies said yesterday.
The Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Branch, claiming there was 'increasing community concern', said yesterday that it wanted to amend the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance to ensure Internet material would be covered.
It also proposed a self-regulation system among Internet service providers to collectively block obscene sites.
Those unsuitable for children but suitable for adults would need password access.
'The 'why' is there, but what is more difficult is to determine the 'what' and the 'how',' Dr William Lo Wing-yan, director of Hongkong Telecom IMS, said.
He said the proposed self-regulation system could be a financial burden on Internet users and could only block 60 to 70 per cent of obscene materials from outside Hong Kong.
Charles Mok Nai-kwong, general manager of HK Net, said: 'We don't want to deal with this in a rash manner. It could hurt the development of the Internet - and our future as a city depends on our communications.' He said he feared Internet companies could be made liable for obscene materials downloaded by their users, even though it was impossible for them to monitor it.