Blogging in Brunei

Brunei Bloggers Consortium

 Some Stats (2009)
 Population: 400,000

 Demographic: Nearly 60% between 21-54

 Internet penetration: 80.7%

 Brunei Blogging Scene
 The Bruneian Blogs Directory amazingly grows at an
average of 5 new blogs every day …..
 Source:
http://www.simpur.net.bn/bloggingnation/index.htm
 14 categories of blogs including “Photo Journalists”,
“Personal”, “Travel, Lifestyle and Hobbies”.
 Largest group comprised of “Personal” blogs followed
closely by “Photo Journalists”.
 Brunei Blogging Scene
 No official figures on the total number of blogs in Brunei.

 Data unavailable on number of accounts, users who blog,

read blogs, contribute to blogs in Brunei.
 Popular Bruneian blogs
 ranoadidas.com

 anakbrunei.com.bn

 projekbrunei.com

 maurina.wordpress.com

 shimworld.wordpress.com

 geekinwhite.com
 On bloggers’ Rights
 It's easy to write a blog post and leave it online for it
to be consumed by the public at large, but bloggers in
Brunei must be aware that though there are laws
protecting freedom of expression in many Western
countries, according to Ahmad Jefri Rahman, in
Brunei, "there are no such rights of freedom of
expression as the likes of in the US and in the UK."
 Legal Environment
 Broadcasting Act (Cap. 180)
 Class Licence
 Internet Code of Practice

 Electronic Transactions Act (Cap. 196)

 Defamation Act (Cap. 192)

 Penal Code (Cap. 22)

 Sedition Act (Cap. 24)

 Copyright Order, 1999

 [Not an exhaustive list]

 Legal Environment
Most important is Sedition Act (Chapter 24). A
seditious intention is an intention to:
 bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection
against His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan or the
Government of Brunei Darussalam;
 incite the inhabitants of Brunei Darussalam to attempt to
procure the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of
any other matter in Brunei Darussalam as by law established;
 bring into hatred or contempt or to incite disaffection
against the administration of justice;
 Legal Environment
 raise discontent or disaffection amongst the inhabitants; to
promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different
classes of the population;
 directly or indirectly lower or adversely affect or bring into
derogation, the rights, status, position, discretion, powers,
privileges, sovereignty or perogatives of His Majesty, his
successors, his consort, or other members of the Royal
Family;
 directly or indirectly or adversely affect the standing or
prominence of the National Philosophy of Melayu Islam
Beraja
 Legal Environment
 Section 10 of the ETA confers immunity from civil and
criminal liability to network service providers in respect of
third‐party material to which they merely provide access.
 This immunity is not available to content hosts or
content providers.
 Eg. of a content host – a blog site.
 Eg. of a content provider – a blogger
 5 rules for Bloggers
 Do not defame or spread malicious falsehood.

 Do not negligently miscommunicate.

 Do not breach your contract.

 Do not steal.

 Do not commit crimes.

[Adapted from Warren B. Chik: Bloggers Beware: The Five

Commandments for Bloggers, Singapore Law Gazette, November
2005(1)]
 Towards a Brunei Bloggers’s code of ethics?
 An association for Brunei bloggers?
Terima Kasih