Wrong use of tech skills: Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR (iStar) - "We have given them an opportunity to learn and now they use their knowledge to fight against the government and the very principles that they are supposed to be fighting for," he said.

Speaking to reporters at the People's Progressive Party's open house, Dr Mahathir was commenting on recent reports that the official Parliament Web site was hacked and all its information wiped out on Dec 30.

He said the "clever minded individuals" accused the Government of controlling the press when in actual fact, they were the ones who held the controlling power as they did not allow other news to get through the Internet.

"If the Government censors the newspapers, they get angry. But then it is alright if they cut off news which is not from their own," he said, adding that the hackers were trying to censor other people's news.

He said the Government was in the process of securing the Web sites but there were still doubts about the security of the Internet.

"These people, who are very highly skilled in this area, can always break the code of whatever system that is being used," he said.