March 2008: The new South Korean government is elected with help from web-savvy voters who take the campaign to the ‘net.

May 2008: The newly-elected South Korean government votes to allow American beef back into the country; the internet serves as a channel for exaggerated rumors of Mad Cow Disease; general panic spreads across the country and complete madness ensues.

August 2008: The South Korean government attempts to enact wide-sweeping regulation over the internet.

The proposed rules include: a requirement that internet companies to make their search algorithms public; regulation over any internet company that publishes any news stories; and the power to suspend any news article thought to be slanderous or fraudulent (free speech/press, anyone?). As contrary to the free-information internet-spirit as all of these measures are, the award for the most asinine requirement has to go to real-name verification of all registered forum and chatroom users.

That’s right, the South Korean government is attempting to deny its citizens their right to anonymously troll forums full of thirteen-year-olds and harass n00bs. South Korea suxx0rs.

The UK Guardian has an article here.

HT: 463

Filed under: Profiles in Governance