A Reminder of Free Speech's Value

BBC: Malaysia cracks down on bloggers. The Malaysian government has warned it could use tough anti-terrorism laws against bloggers who insult Islam or the country's king.

I remember visiting Malaysia in late 2001, and being assured by people in business and government that the Internet was going to truly remain a free-speech zone (unlike the highly regulated traditional media). I also remember an online journalist telling me that this would last as long as the Net was being seen only by a tiny minority of the citizens. He was right.