Making “black list” of websites started in Belarus
- 9.07.2010, 12:58
A new section “Lists of restricted access” has appeared on the website of the State Telecommunication Inspection (STI).
Initiators of decree #60 suggest shielding the Belarusian Internet users from extremism, violence, pornography and other excesses by their request. Under the joint regulation of the Operative and Analytical Center (OAC) and the Ministry of Communication, there will be two lists, a public one and a closed one. The first one will include the resources registered in the national segment of the Internet, the second will consist of undesirable Internet resources that can be seen only by Internet service providers (ISPs), Electroname.com reports.
The Telecommunication Inspection offers ISPs a kind of quest to see the list of restricted access. They need to write a letter and hand it in to the Inspection via an authorized representative. The authorized representative should show a certified license to carry out telecommunication activities. Then an ISP will be given a login and password to see the list of restricted access on the Telecommunication Inspection website.
We remind that the Inspection makes up the “black list” at the suggestion of governmental bodies. Legal bodies, individual entrepreneurs and common citizens can help to draw up a list by sending their proposals to block websites to the appropriate governmental agencies. Now Internet censorship can be imposed only on a personal request of a user. Access to undesirable websites will be blocked in governmental bodies, education and culture institutions.
The scandalous Decree on National Segment of the Internet signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka came into effect on July 1. The content of the decree brought on criticism by the Belarusian media community and international human rights organizations, including OSCE. Independent experts have no doubts that Lukashenka’s decree is aimed at blocking oppositional Internet resources ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.