KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A court here today has convicted and fined the operator of a Blogspot account $4,900 for distributing obscene material on the web.
The Blogspot site at issue, Blog Video Panas Yamani Salim, currently is available worldwide except in Malaysia and hosts about 130 videos that comprise all types of sexually explicit content by genre.
The operator of the site, Asnizukacaras Saari, pleaded guilty to uploading the sexually explicit material to the site. Saari, according to the Star Online, created the site while working also as an account clerk.
According to court records, a raid by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission resulted in the agency to block Blog Video Panas Yamani Salim within the country.
"The court takes such matters seriously, as such material could lead the public to deviant behavior," Judge Zulqarnain Hassan said in handing down the $4,900 fine.
In Malaysia, government prosecutors can cite Sections 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988, which deal with illicit content.
Offenders are liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding $14,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both, and shall also be liable to a further fine of $275 for every day the offense is continued after conviction.
