The war for the presidency has reached dizzy heights of technology with the two main candidates taking their fight to cyberspace.
Dr. Chandana Gamage, senior Computer Science lecturer at the University of Moratuwa said that compared to previous elections, the present race had seen a well-organized cyberspace battle with hi-tech digital weapons.
They were resorting to website hacking, forgery, identity thefts and other internet-based misdeeds, Dr. Gamage alleged.
“At earlier elections, only campaign-related emails were circulated by supporters. But at this election, blogs, websites and real-time internet tools such as Facebook are extensively used to promote the two main candidates,” he said.
The senior lecturer noted that cyberspace was being misused to mislead the masses instead of being used to educate them or help them make an informed decision.
“In many countries during elections, parallel to the net-based polls campaign, there are also independent entities that present balanced views and alert the public on forgeries. In Sri Lanka, even most individual blogs and websites are biased,” he said.
Dr. Gamage called the public, NGOs and civil societies to contribute to the creation of a new cyberspace culture where use of technology to mislead the masses could be minimised.
He said that although the country had passed the Computer Crimes Act in 2007, its enforcement against fraudulent emails, forging and hacking was wanting.
JVP frontliner and parliamentarian Vijitha Herath said the government was spending millions of rupees and using every possible internet tool to discredit the oppositions’ campaign.
“They hack our websites, circulate scurrilous emails, digitally manipulate documents and maintain websites with Sarath Fonseka’s name to sling mud at us and mislead the public,” the MP said.
He charged that government institutions such as the ICTA, the Vocational Training Authority and some officials from the Information Department were involved in the cyberspace propaganda activities.
Mr. Herath also claimed that the government had paid several websites to carry pro-government news.
“We are seeking legal assistance but it is not that practical as the government has spent millions on forging, hacking and other kinds of internet thefts. We have lodged complaints to the Elections Commissioner but there are limitations as the present election laws do not cover internet activities,” he said.
The office of the opposition’s common candidate Sarath Fonseka urged supporters to be on the alert for false documents, online statements, websites, blogs and false SMS messages that were being spread around.
“We would like to clarify that we have no connection to sites like sfbalakaya.com or the numerous others that claim to be from Gen. Fonseka’s campaign,” the statement said.
Meanwhile Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said there were major online campaigns against the government not only from within the country but also from outside. “There are a lot of false information and as well as mud slinging going around,” he said.
The minister said the government was carrying out a successful election campaign on the net. |
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