A.Bastunets: “The Ordinance is directed to inventory and control”
The Belarusian President’s Ordinance No. 60 "About the efforts on improving the use of the national segment of Internet network" came into effect on July 1, 2010. The legal act had been signed by A. Lukashenka on February 1, 2010.
It is worth reminding that the ordinance obliges all Belarusian organizations, providing their services on-line, to make use of Belarusian Web-hosting, Web-domains etc. The providers of Internet connection services have become responsible for collecting and keeping information about the users" Web-connecting technical devices and keep information about all rendered Internet-connecting services (i.e., the visited Web-pages).
The users have to present passports in order to access the Web at Internet-cafes and even in order to make use of Wi-Fi.
According to the legal act, the Web-users can urge the Internet-providers to disable their access to the Web-resources that distribute pornographic materials, promote violence and other offensive actions, banned by Belarusian law.
"The legal act hasn’t been duly prepared," noted A. Bastunets, Deputy Chairman of Belarusian Association of Journalists. "It appears that it is firstly directed to inventory and control and hardly meets the declared goals," he added.
