Censorship in Belarusian Internet cafes

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

The Belarusian Council of Ministers adopted on 10 February 2007 a new act on
the Regulations on Functioning of the Computer Clubs and Internet Cafes that
will impose new censorship rules on all the persons that use the public
Internet access points.

According to the new regulations, Internet cafe owners or their authorized
agents must keep an electronic registry of the domain names of the sites
accessed by users. The electronic log should contain at least a 12-month
history of all connections. State Security agents, police or state control
inspectors are authorized to review the log in the cases listed by the
legislation.

In cases of suspicion of infringement of this law, the Internet cafe
management should inform the law enforcement bodies about such events.

The computer clubs and Internet cafes are not allowed to use programs
propagating the cult of violence, cruelty and pornography, or disseminate
banned information.

The Belarusian Government has very easy ways to regulate the Internet
activity within the country, since the only Internet provider is the
governmental Beltelecom organization, according to Reporters Without
Borders.

Belarusian government adopts regulations on computer clubs and internet
cafes (15.02.2007)
http://www.e-belarus.org/news/200702151.html

Byelorussia tightens control over internet (15.02.2007)
http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2007/02/15/236077

(Thanks to Mikhail Doroshevich – e-belarus.org)