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CSOs, businesses and governments in non EU countries on the South and East of Europe are rather passive in IG discussions. Why does this happen? Lack of awareness? Lack of interest? What could be done about this? What is needed - education or propagation?

Website: http:///www.diplointernetgovernance.org/group/see
Location: South and East of Europe
Members: 7
Latest Activity: Jan 28, 2016

New draft law on internet regulation in Belarus

Decree on Internet limitations prepared in Belarus (Text of the document)

“Nasha Niva” newspaper received a draft decree “On measures for revising
use of the national segment of the World Wide Web”.

Under this document, control over web-sites in Belarus is to be carried out
in accordance with to the procedure prescribed by the Council of Ministers
on approval of the special service, the Operational and Analytics Centre of
the Presidential Administration (OAC).

Under the draft decree, the OAC is to control internet providers of the
country. “Telecommunications operators that have a right to access the
international telecommunications networks, and accredited Internet services
providers” are to be approved by the OAC “under the agreement with the
president of the Republic of Belarus”.

Activities of a provider can be discontinued by a decree of the Council of
Ministers. The OAC’s capacities also include ban on access to information
which is illegal under the Belarusian law. Registration of domain names .by
is to be controlled by the OAC as well.

The same agency is also to handle enforcement of the national legislation by
the companies which provide Internet services.

The draft decree also includes a plan of actions for the next year, which
are to be implemented by the Council of Ministers and the OAC with the aim
to revise work of the national segment of the Web. Thus, under this draft
document, within three months after the decree publication the Council of
Ministers is to ensure regulatory actions for the work of informational
resources of the Belarusian segment of the web, and to about owners of
informational resources.

Clause 1.5 of the decree causes concern. It reads: “Upon the request of a
user, providers of Internet services effect services limiting access to
information which is aimed at extremist activities” and so on.

Within one year after the decree’s coming in force, it is planned to write
a draft law on the national segment of the Internet and offer it for
consideration of the Belarusian president.

The Operational and Analytical Centre was created in 2008.

We offer to your attention some extracts from the draft document.

1. Registration of resources of the national segment of the World Wide Web
is to be carried out in accordance with to the procedure prescribed by the
Council of Ministers on approval of the Operational and Analytics Centre
under the jurisdiction of the Presidential Administration (OAC).

Information about the registered resources of the national segment of the
Web is to be conveyed to the OAC in a procedure and in the amount prescribed
by this Centre.

* The national segment of the Word Wide Web means of informational networks,
systems, resources, including telecommunications networks and complexes of
software and hardware facilities connected to the network limited to the
territory and (or) domain area of the Republic of Belarus.

1.2. Operators and other legal entities and private entrepreneurs that
provide Internet services (Internet providers) must identify * Internet
users** to whom their services are rendered.

Information about identification of Internet users is to be stored by
Internet providers for at least one year and to be submitted upon request of
state bodies which carry out investigative activities, prosecution agencies,
preliminary investigation agencies, courts;

1.4. When Internet providers, Internet users violate requests of this
decree, or other legal acts in the sphere of use of the national segment of
the Web, rendering services with the use of this network can be suspended or
discontinued in a procedure prescribe by the Council of Ministers of the
Republic of Belarus.

Suspension of rendering Internet services is executed after demand of
competent government bodies, as well as state agencies which carry out
investigative activities, prosecution agencies, preliminary investigation
agencies, courts where there are sufficient grounds to believe that
continuation of access to these services would contribute to commission of
an offence.

2. The Council of Ministers of Belarus:

2.1. Within three months is:

2.1.1. To define:

The sphere of duties of organs of state administration subject to the
Government of the Republic of Belarus, in the sphere of World Wide Web use;

The list of services rendered with the use of the national segment of the
Web, and responsibility of Internet providers for keeping records of them;

The procedure of conveying information necessary for identification of
Internet users and services provided to them, to state agencies which carry
out investigative activities, prosecution agencies, preliminary
investigation agencies, courts;

The procedure of suspension or termination of rendering services in the
national segment of the Web;

2.2. Within six months:

A draft Concept on development of the national segment of the Web is to be
created and offered for approval of the President of Belarus;

The procedure of state registration of mass media disseminated by means of
Internet, and the procedure of their production is to be determined;

The procedure f Internet users’ identification in places of collective use
of the Internet, including Internet-café clients, home networks users is to
be defined;

5.

Within a year state agencies concerned are to prepare and offer for
consideration of the head of state offers for enacting into law
administrative, criminal and other responsibility for law violations in the
sphere of Internet use.

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2009/12/14/24572/

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Comment by Ljubisa Gavrilovic on December 16, 2010 at 5:54am: After spending nearly 2 years in Serbia, as a ordinary citizen I can notice increased use of Web for various commercial, governmental and political purposes. It is interesting to notice that conveying a message via the Internet web sites is becoming more popular. After a year or so what has pleased me that a lot of governmental actions broadcasted to public included statements or some functionality on the web. Also a number of everyday services based on web access, being technical (like getting information about your cell usage), communal (reports on works or getting information about state of some action even on a personal level by using ID cards), financial (postal and regular online banking) is increasing by the day. As it seems web is becoming a publishing line of choice as well as everyday tool to conduct business or get informed.

Recent proliferation of wireless modems (using Internet over cell network) brought internet to homes that has not been covered by other means.

Opening of free Internet parks (public WiFi network in couple of green areas of Belgrade) was refreshing move last summer. Seen many people sitting on benches and having laptops - mainly students.

More and more cafe's I notice advertising free WiFi spots. There are many places you can go for coffee, bring your laptop or WiFi enabled smartphone and while enjoying your favorite drink you can also spend some time on Internet for free courtesy of establishment.

With this development I am getting confident that sooner or later as number of users increase Internet issues will become more known and/or appreciated.

I am happy to learn that Belgrade will host EuroDIG next year. Looking forward to that.

Comment by Ljubisa Gavrilovic on October 23, 2009 at 4:59pm: My previous post implies that we need to do popularization rather than education...

Comment by Ljubisa Gavrilovic on October 23, 2009 at 4:56pm: I have stepped on interesting moment on internet - a new social group - not new by its existence, but, new to me - simply I was unaware of it.

http://vkontakte.ru

And I would like to share some of my opinion here about this one.

Vkontakte is russian variant of Facebook seems to be built not on same concept but with similar design and content. It is interesting that it has prime popularity within eastern countries and almost exusively it is built around eastern population primarily russian.

Thing that has impressed me is multiliguality and cultural frame.

In light of our discussion here, maybe popularization shall be done in appropriate cultural content. Seems to me that congregation of populous that could be interested in our cause lays elsewhere.

Comment by Ljubisa Gavrilovic on September 29, 2009 at 11:36am: "Businesses and governmnet use e-tools rathre actively. The same is about education, health and etc." - if you have meant computers - yes. this has not been a problem. there was adoption of computer tools rather quickly and long time ago. general internet usage - i agree - many governmental agencies and commercial establishments would have web sites here in serbia and in some occasion email address for contact. all true. only i do not see them as yet using these tools to increase their efficiency or interact with people on practical level. it is still rather basic understanding what technology can do - it is still used in one direction from organization towards populous. With younger people getting into a system that are more technologically fluent possibly situation will change.

I also agree that "lack of" is something which is speciality of at least serbia not to do some initiative. And among lack of - there is lack of initiative and acceptance.

I actually have an idea. We could devise a survey - that could identify what people think about it. Web surveys are easy to proliferate.

I liked your comment about EE not being asked. Maybe there is devil in the detail.

Comment by Marina Sokolova on September 28, 2009 at 10:00am: "My belief is that in EE countries general approach to resolving problems is top-down system and that mainly comes in a form of a government initiative".

Governmnet initiative is not a "god from the machine", and it comes when there is some level of awareness in the society.

"general poverty and in-affordability of digital tools and data communication is also a problem"
I think that for many counties in Eastern Europe this is not the most important problem. It is not a developing world. Businesses and governmnet use e-tools rathre actively. The same is about education, health and etc.

May be we could look at the other side of the problem The EE countries are not always asked on global issues. They are too concentrated on their poverty, drawbacks , and lacks of... But the major fact may be the lack of imagination, vision and ambition?

Comment by Ljubisa Gavrilovic on September 23, 2009 at 1:18pm: Lack of everyday life dependance on internet, lack of belief that system can be used to fulfill the need. Lack of technological knowledge.

My belief is that in EE countries general approach to resolving problems is top-down system and that mainly comes in a form of a government initiative. Likely this is inherited from state controlled method of economy that created mentality for several generations, general poverty and in-affordability of digital tools and data communication is also a problem. Education and propagation is crucial and this maybe not among general population, but with in commercial and organizational structures. Also there is need for improved social methods of bottom-up organizational approach. In Serbia nobody believe in organizations that are NP or NG - they are virtually non-existent on a local level as organizational method of putting some initiative (save foreign NP/NG organizations that are also looked down from general population as result of propagating policies that were not always in benefit of local population rather serving other interests). Mentality is general problem.

In some cases there is problem with legal regulative. In Serbia there is law about electronic business but there is no mechanism of digital identification - lest law about it thus no mechanism of digital accountability.

Result, again, lack of everyday dependance on internet and then ignorance on how technology can improve life. Organizations do not make initiative as penetration is low - not realizing that penetration will increase if they do initiative - making it vicious circle of ignorance.

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