A PANEL of experts charged with advising the government on Net content and usage said Feb 20 that Singapore should shy away from further heavy-handed regulation of the medium in favour of self-policing by industry players.

Professor Bernard Tan, head of the National Internet Advisory Committee (NIAC), said that as Net usage was exploding, it was critical that the government should encourage a flexible, industry-driven approach to its management.

The panel's recommendations go to the heart of the dilemma faced by many administrations, which are anxious to promote Web usage for business and education, but are concerned about pornographic, violent or other undesirable material.

The problem for policy-makers is especially acute in Singapore, which polices the traditional media very closely, but also wants to be a regional leader in the application of new technology.

The NIAC report, its fourth, said that Net usage almost trebled last year and now encompassed more than half the population. In 1999, Web users numbered about 800,000; by last year the figure had risen to 2.2 million.

"The NIAC strongly feels that the social and moral concerns brought about by the pervasiveness of the Internet cannot be addressed by regulations alone, and that the industry and the public should play a greater role in protecting the young from the negative aspects of the medium," the report said.

Professor Tan said he wanted the Singapore Information Technology Federation, a local industry grouping, to run a local Web content labelling scheme, endorsing suitable sites. He also favoured the use of filters, which try to screen out unsavoury material, and the active involvement of parents.

At present, Internet service providers in the city-state must conform to the Class Licence Scheme, which prohibits local hosting of pornographic content, or material that harms public order. The loosely worded 1996 act, and other regulations, do not cover what individuals may receive over the Net from abroad.

"The NIAC feels that self-regulation, if properly conceived, reduces the need for additional government legislation and allows the industry greater flexibility in dealing with the fast-changing Internet environment," the report said.