• Belarus said to restrict access to foreign websites
    39 replies, posted
[img]http://torrentfreak.com/images/belarus.jpg[/img] [release] [SUB]Computerworld[SUB] By John Ribeiro January 3, 2012 01:04 AM ET[/SUB][/SUB] [B]Belarus said to restrict access to foreign websites[/B] [I]A new law restricting citizens and residents from access and commerce on foreign websites goes into effect Friday. [/I] IDG News Service - Belarus has introduced a law that imposes restrictions on citizens and residents in the country visiting or using foreign websites, according to [I]Global Legal Monitor[/I], an online publication of the Law Library of Congress in Washington. Under the new law, which goes into effect Jan. 6, transactions from Belarus on the website of a foreign Internet company such as Amazon.com would be illegal, and the Internet company may be sued for violating national law, [URL="http://www.loc.gov/lawweb/servlet/lloc_news?disp3_l205402929_text"]wrote[/URL] Peter Roudik, the author of the article. The Eastern European republic, which was formerly a part of the Soviet Union, is listed under "countries under surveillance" for Internet censorship by the press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders. The new law, published Dec. 21, requires all companies and individuals registered as entrepreneurs in Belarus to use only domestic Internet domains for providing online services, conducting sales, or exchanging email messages, according to [I]Global Legal Monitor[/I]. It appears that business requests from Belarus cannot be served over the Internet if the service provider is using online services located outside the country, Roudik said. The tax authorities, together with the police and secret police, are authorized to initiate, investigate and prosecute such violations, he added. The new law also provides for fines and closures of Internet cafes, or other places that offer access to the Internet, if users of Internet services provided by these places are found visiting websites located outside of Belarus and if such behavior of the clients was not properly identified, recorded, and reported to the authorities, according to [I]Global Legal Monitor[/I]. The law states that this provision may apply to private individuals if they allow other persons to use their home computers for browsing the Internet. The new law implements Decree 60 of the Belarus President in February 2010, referred to as "Improvements to the Usage of the National Segment of the Internet," which came into effect in July of that year.[/release] [URL="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223095/Belarus_said_to_restrict_access_to_foreign_websites"]computerworld.com[/URL] [URL="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/03/belarus_internet_clamp_down/"]theregister.co.uk[/URL] [url=http://torrentfreak.com/belarus-bans-browsing-of-all-foreign-websites-120103/]torrentfreak.com[/url] I myself a bit unsure if this doesn't apply to entrepreneurs [I]only[/I], but it's not a nice thing, either way.
What the hell is going on with internet censorship now, why do they need to restrict the internet to their own borders?
does belarus even have any websites are they effectively blocking out the whole internet to their own people
Uh huh I'm sure Amazon is just going to bow down and pay them money because their national law says so, and because some dumbass decided to purchase something from them. Just because you can attach the word 'sue' to it doesn't mean you can force a foreign company to pay you money. I wonder what possibly made them create this law. They don't even want to tax internet transactions, they want them gone.
Okay, so if this whole "Blah blah, pirates are taking our money, no more internet variety for you" behavior spreads to other countries, then people will start to do something about it. Hopefully soon, before things get out of hand with the restrictions.
[QUOTE=TAU!;34035301]Okay, so if this whole "Blah blah, pirates are taking our money, no more internet variety for you" behavior spreads to other countries, then people will start to do something about it. Hopefully soon, before things get out of hand with the restrictions.[/QUOTE]The fuck does piracy have to do with this? Or did you not read the article?
They're mad because they don't get any taxes from Amazon. Belarus also has a cool flag.
The next North Korea ?
[QUOTE=muffinmastah;34035126]What the hell is going on with internet censorship now, why do they need to restrict the internet to their own borders?[/QUOTE] This seems more like an economic means than anything else. As it restricts business done with outside parties and which may lead to tax evasion, and less revenue. It's pretty similar like banning the imports of cars like some countries do, unless they are manufactured in country.
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Alex_Lukashenko_.jpeg[/IMG] Look at this criminal and thug, he doesn't even have any pictures of him wrestling bears or firing himself out of a cannon to impress people on the internet! That's probably why they banned it, you know.
There is actually no such law. There where some proposals in 2010 to block several websites, but none of them were approved
[QUOTE=muffinmastah;34035126]What the hell is going on with internet censorship now, why do they need to restrict the internet to their own borders?[/QUOTE] Belarus is Europe's last dictatorship, they don't want people reading about dodgy shit like democracy and the Arab Spring
I wonder how the public will react?
[QUOTE=Bobie;34035239]does belarus even have any websites are they effectively blocking out the whole internet to their own people[/QUOTE] They probably have some kinky dog porn shit, Thats it though
Maybe they got tired of Bill Bailey making fun of their national anthem. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SMNX11y0dVo[/url]
I've been to Belarus, crossed near Białowieża (Poland) to see what it was like. Although we were still in the nature reserve it felt like 1980, then we were nearly caught by what seemed to be border guards. I doubt many people have the internet outside of cities anyway.
[QUOTE=smurfy;34036698]Belarus is Europe's last dictatorship, they don't want people reading about dodgy shit like democracy and the Arab Spring[/QUOTE] You say that like its a bad thing, also Russia.
It kind of is a bad thing, though as far as dictators go Lukashenko isn't that bad, especially compared to some US puppets.
[QUOTE=Conscript;34038375]It kind of is a bad thing, though as far as dictators go Lukashenko isn't that bad, especially compared to some US puppets.[/QUOTE] Dictatorship is just a different system and presents advantages to democracy, and Lukashenko is good compared to some [I]US Presidents[/I].
So basically they are restricting the use of the internet for commercial purposes.
[QUOTE=Ale994145;34038590]Dictatorship is just a different system and presents advantages to democracy, and Lukashenko is good compared to some [I]US Presidents[/I].[/QUOTE] Indeed, but it doesn't make much sense to appreciate dictatorship unless you have a vested interest in it, and most people dont. What do you like about it that makes it less 'bad'? Are you some kind of nationalist?
[QUOTE=muffinmastah;34035126]What the hell is going on with internet censorship now, why do they need to restrict the internet to their own borders?[/QUOTE] Same thing happens were I live. I can't watch stuff from hulu.com or certain youtube videos because I'm not in the USA.
[QUOTE=Marbalo;34039102]Russia is not a dictatorship lmao[/QUOTE] Oh how wrong you are. Russia exemplifies how decrepit and tyrannical the rule of a super-rich oligarchy is. After the collapse of the fSU, russia didn't transition to or develop capitalism like western liberal democracies did. It was shock therapy and the mass sell off of state property to the highest bidder, which led to huge amounts of lay offs, pay cuts, and a widening wealth gap with the new labor market. The government overseeing all this sought to ride out all the waves of discontent, if that meant rigging elections and using tanks. It's a dictatorship.
Did they not learn from Egypt?
[QUOTE=Ale994145;34038590]Dictatorship is just a different system and presents advantages to democracy, and Lukashenko is good compared to some [I]US Presidents[/I].[/QUOTE] Yes because grabbing protesers and bunging them in vans is very advantegous. Lukashenko knows how disasterous peresroika was for the Soviet Union.
[QUOTE=MachiniOs;34041858]Yes because grabbing protesers and bunging them in vans is very advantegous. Lukashenko knows how disasterous peresroika was for the Soviet Union.[/QUOTE] Presroika and Glanost were the worst thing to happen to the soviet union, Gorbachev should have been shot in the coup. [editline]4th January 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Conscript;34038826]Indeed, but it doesn't make much sense to appreciate dictatorship unless you have a vested interest in it, and most people dont. What do you like about it that makes it less 'bad'? Are you some kind of nationalist?[/QUOTE] Not at all. Democracy's main problem is that it bows to the lowest common denominator, that is all I feel about saying about it though, but I have many reasons.
My guess is that they've seen how the internet helped the revolts in egypt and tunisia, so they're scared.
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;34035631][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Alex_Lukashenko_.jpeg[/IMG] Look at this criminal and thug, he doesn't even have any pictures of him wrestling bears or firing himself out of a cannon to impress people on the internet! That's probably why they banned it, you know.[/QUOTE] Lukashenko is a fucking idiot.
I have never heard of this "Belarus" before, are you sure you're not just making this up?
It's Soviet Belarus. I'm not surprised.
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