Govt Prefers To Educate Social Media Users, Says Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- It is impossible to monitor all the information on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and various other new internet mediums, especially so with an estimated 12 million users in the country, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim. "It should not be monitored and no one can monitor Facebook or Twitter as the number of users are too big. No one can monitor 12 million users for example," he said to Bernama after the launch of the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention by Prime Minister Najib Razak here, on Sunday. Instead, the government hoped that the network users would become more responsible through the education they receive periodically on the matter, he emphasised. He noted that, even in the United States, a debate has started as to whether the role of social media should be monitored, but the Malaysian government preferred to educate its citizens to be more responsible about what they post on these sites. However, not everything on social media networks is bad, as it has certain aspects which can raise the standard of living, he added. "For example, the Prime Minister has suggested that ruling Barisan Nasional leaders who are internet savvy should use the social media in their careers," he said. More than 2,000 social media users, particularly pro government bloggers attended the one day convention. -- BERNAMA Malaysia