It is true, Belarussians aren’t allowed the internet.
Why do you think this is?
—
Regarding our presentation I think it went ok. Obviously there was the ironic technical glitch but I guess this shows the true nature of the digital age. I suppose for most people its all quite young technology and so there are bound to be teething problems.
I think we could have looked more closely at specific countries like Belarus and seen if the lack of digital technology, like the internet, has affected press freedom. Then again, I doubt a state that has banned something like the web is likely to have a brilliantly liberal press.
TI
February 28, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Human rights groups and media organisations (including mediawise – Mike Jempson had just got back from Belarus when he came to see us) have condemned Belarus for its lack of free press.
AND it’s one of the ten worst places to be a journalist! (Commitee to Protect Journalism.)
Reporters Without Borders count Pres Lukashenko as a “predator of press freedom.”
There ARE some private press publications. For example BDG Delovaya Gazeta and Narodnaya Volya. But state owned media reigns. Listening to their output is painful! Visa fees and the president’s timetable were todays headlines.
As George said, it makes a mockery of us trying to be impartial commentators. So how can digital technology help to improve press freedoms in a country which is so afraid of giving its people a voice it has banned the internet?
There is hope: foreign media outlets target Belarus. The European Commission is funding a consortium of Polish, Lithuanian, German and Russian broadcasters; it’s trying to increase access to independent news via radio, TV and the internet.
But, it’ll be a long time coming…
LC
February 29, 2008 at 9:17 am
Cubans arent allowed to have the internet in their own homes.
February 29, 2008 at 10:03 am
The internet is not banned in Belarus. The press is horribly uncritical of Lukashenka and the independent press is thin on the ground. But the internet is not banned.
February 29, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Really? What sort of access do Belarussians have to the internet? Is it heavily controlled? I imagine they’ve cut out the usual “offenders” : youtube, hotmail, etc. But what others?
Thanks Pleite.
Lora.
February 29, 2008 at 3:20 pm
And Peter, what’s your source for Cubans not being allowed the internet in their homes? I’ve heard differently.
Lora
March 3, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Sorry, I feel like the person who rings a TV opinion poll premium phone line to answer ‘don’t know’. But, the truth is, I don’t know. I’ve got a feeling it’s not majorly restrictive. No bans on e-mail or youtube, for example. I do remember hearing that some political sites, like that of the opposition leader Aliaksandr Milinkevich, were hacked and perhaps some independent press host their sites outside Belarus. But I’m really not sure. Perhaps the Belarusian Association of Journalists – http://baj.by/?newlang=eng – might have more info.
March 6, 2008 at 10:23 pm
They are only allowed to access State run internet cafes
March 9, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I’ve had this responce from Mike Jempson…
Dear Lora, I have been working for the IFJ with the Belarus Association of Journalists over the last 18 months. I have just come back from a week visiting journalists in five regions.There IS internet access and private (home-based) access to the web isgrowing, but it is a condition of registration that internet café ownersmust inform the KGB (on request) about the sites their clients visit. An insider from the state-owned Beltelcom told me that that logs are keptof ALL internet use (and it must be presumed that these are accessible toand accessed by the KGB, who operate quite openly). Oppositionist web sites are monitored and regularly blocked – for examplewhen there are elections or political crises. Journalists and others havetold me that occasionally there will be problems accessing other sites onwhat appears to be an ad hoc basis. However, the younger (urban) generations make regular and imaginative useof the internet and there are numerous blogggers at work. Skype and SMSmessaging are very popular as the former, especially, is hard todetect/break into. As one veteran journalist said to me “If it weren’t forthe internet we might as well pack up and go to bed”. I hope this is helpful. I shall be interested to see what other information you come up with, albest Mike Jempson
March 16, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Might I offer a glimmer of hope? I realize this is slightly anachronistic but hey…
In the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) the secret police or Staatssicherheit (Stasi) maintained close tabs on every even marginally suspect inidvidual. The ratio of informants to informed upon was so staggering that there is reason to believe that they keep track of almost everyone. But at the end of the day it didn’t help them one bit. The amount of information generated was so overwhelming that the bureaucracy was unable to deal with it. Of course digital technology has made it much easier to scan messages for keywords and log their originators. Nonetheless there is a part of me that hopes that even with this new technology no secret police will be able to stifle all free expression
March 16, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Might I offer a glimmer of hope? I realize this is slightly anachronistic but hey…
In the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) the secret police or Staatssicherheit (Stasi) maintained close tabs on every even marginally suspect inidvidual. The ratio of informants to informed upon was so staggering that there is reason to believe that they keep track of almost everyone. But at the end of the day it didn’t help them one bit. The amount of information generated was so overwhelming that the bureaucracy was unable to deal with it. Of course digital technology has made it much easier to scan messages for keywords and log their originators. Nonetheless there is a part of me that hopes that even with this new technology no secret police will be able to stifle all free expression. May the choke on their factoids.
EG