the sabc and the “banning” of the kagablog
this mail received from a kagablog reader at the sabc:
“Didn’t quite see the interest for all- that the SABC was banning the blog. Any hoo spoke to IT Securities, who informed me that the site had been being monitored by US? UK (who are these people??) for the last month, and was found to have objectionable adult content-hence the SABC’s removal of access to staff.!!!! I did argue the issue (see lettre)-and what about ‘MIRON’ etc etc or the other –to me CRIMINAL ‘adult’-orus sites accessible in the Sauk? Where in the Sauk were the young bodies ‘n soles that were going to be damaged by THE BLOG…?
I was told however that if I wrote an Email briefly explaining my need –for work purposes- for access to the site, it would be unlocked for me only…
Well thar yi gow-your webpage for some reason IS still roamable, but definitely NOT the BLOG…
So use what you want –hopefully I have covered my delicates…
–the communiqué to Security……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
To whomever it concerns.
Disclosure.
I frequently visit a blog on the internet that provides information on upcoming events-primarily art related, but including generally, occasions of global interest as well. As an SABC employee in the news media, I find the website of immense value; it keeps me abreast of intellectual focus in South Africa and its ‘outskirts’-which knowledge I find vital in the performance of my delivery of news output to the public. The blog keeps me informed of intellectual movements and concerns.
I therefore find it quite surprising that access to the site is now denied to SABC staff. Manny de Oliviera has indeed explained the recent access removal, and that it is due to the “adult” content and nature of many of the submissions on the blog.He also suggests that accessing the content might somehow be ‘abused’ by some staff ,therefore the ‘protection’.
I nevertheless still believe the website to be an important one, since it insists on debate of all the items in its content. There is an immense and critical response to all the material available and I believe this converts what is ‘objectionable’ into something enlightening.
In the light of the nature of the spirit of the contributors to this site, I feel it is incumbent on me to notify the website of the SABC’s recent policy change regarding access to that forum’s material.
I could find no clear ‘POLICY’ stipulations within SABC Security Policy regarding this kind of disclosure in the SABC Security Policy -hence this communication to you.
I would appreciate any responses to these observations, and also thank Manny for his time and contribution to my understanding of web policy.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I find it extremely bizarre that the sabc has found it necessary to block the kag blog site. there are echo’s of apartheid here. it is particularly baffling because we have been sold the notion that the anc is a democratic party and embraces democracy. but it seems the more they have to deal with the real issues of democracy, they start to become impatient. democracy is not just a nice sounding word that has this ‘feel good’ quality about it. somebody should take the sabc (and the anc and the awb while they’re about it) and run courses on democracy to enlighten them on the real meaning of having your views challenged openly and sanely i.e. rational debate. it is also baffling that when somebody wants to do their job correctly that they get prevented from doing so by some petty minded official somewhere in the bureaucracy.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
a banning update…
the response to my communique:
“Please do note that it is not a SABC recent policy change that occurred but rather a Worldwide definition update that happens on our content filtering application that we run called “SurfControl”. SurfControl International ,tries to categories most webpages and content/submenus according to content ,etc- and they update about every 4 hours. The kagablog submenu was then categories to fall under “adult/sexually explicit” category due to the nature of the content.”
additionally,i subsequently applied for access to the blog,in order to gain access to the ‘articles’ on bataille and theories of economics…’n here i am.
thanx for valuable info regarding bataille…!