Information Policy

Russia ratchets up internet control by blocking privacy service Tor

Russia stepped up state oversight of internet activity on Wednesday by blocking the website of global privacy service Tor and part of its wider network, with the communications regulator accusing it of enabling access to illegal content.

Internet Safety Is the New Internet Freedom

By Konstantinos Komaitis

On Jan. 25, 2011, protests erupted across Egypt against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. As an estimated 2 million people protested at Tahrir Square in Cairo, the government tried to control the narrative by first blocking Twitter and then Facebook. Within a couple of days, Egypt’s telecom services would go dark. According to reports at the time, “the shutdown caused a 90 percent drop in data traffic to and from Egypt, crippling an important communications tool used by antigovernment protesters and their supporters to organize and to spread their message.”

Treason, Extremism and Beatings: How Independent Media Risks Everything in Belarus

EUvsDisinfo has been regularly monitoring how the illegitimate Lukashenka regime abuses its legal system and the security apparatus to shut down the very few remaining independent voices. The targets include journalists, regional outlets, Telegram channels and their followers and readers.

National Centre for Personal Data Protection established in Belarus

Its establishment is stipulated by Decree No. 422 ‘On Measures to Improve the Protection of Personal Data’, which President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed on October 28th. The document was issued in development of the norms of the law No. 99-3 of May 7th, 2021 ‘On the Protection of Personal Data’

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In accordance with the decree, the national centre is endowed with the status of an authorised body for the protection of the rights of subjects of personal data. Its basic rights, tasks, functions and powers have been determined.
In particular, the centre is empowered to verify compliance with the legislation on personal data, to issue written demands (orders) to eliminate identified violations, to demand the termination of the processing of personal data if it is impossible to protect the rights of subjects of personal data by other means.
Moreover, the decree establishes additional measures related to the protection of personal data. This is, for example, the need to undergo special training for persons whose duties include the protection of personal data; the obligation to keep records of personal data subject to processing by state bodies and other organisations.

Source: https://www.sb.by/en/national-centre-for-personal-data-protection-established-in-belarus.html

Belarus classifies social media channels as 'extremist' in new crackdown

The Belarusian interior ministry on Friday classified three of the country's most popular opposition social media channels as extremist organisations, meaning that people can face up to seven years in prison for subscribing to them.