Woo Tai-wai, 48, pleaded guilty to publishing eight obscene photographs via a
local internet forum in the first prosecution related to internet porn sites
under the city's obscene and indecent articles laws, the South China Morning
Post reported.
A court in the Kwun Tong district of the city heard that Woo provided a
hyperlinked message on the forum which, when clicked, would enable other forum
users to access an overseas pornographic website showing the photos.
But Internet Society chairman Charles Mok Nai-kwong said the court case raised
several concerns. 'In this case, the court has given a new direction to the
public concerning the responsibility of internet users,' he said.
Mok added that he also believed the case could damage the freedom of
information on the internet. 'This man posted a link on the internet which now
becomes an act that constitutes the breaking of law, and my question is whether
a link is being regarded as the 'obscene article,'' he said.
Search engines, including Yahoo and Google, carry links to porn sites, he
added.
'In cases where search engines list out all the links to pornographic websites,
is it justifiable to ask whether these would have to undergo censorship as they
also provide these hyperlinks to obscene articles?' he asked.
