the country has been showing the lowest Internet penetration rate in the region.
When a license for a private operator was granted, MTS began offering new services
(GPRS/EDGE for the country). More than 500,000 people joined for about half a year, 10
which is 9–10 percent of the population. Citizens in CIS countries have expressed a
growing enthusiasm for the Internet and 3G mobile services and have manifested their
‘‘e-readiness’’ in politically sensitive times. This trend raises the concern that governments already accustomed to controlling media and communications may wish to
develop means to close down free speech outlets any time they feel threatened.
Government officials recognize the power of the Internet to affect political and social
life, and have actively moved to compete for influence in the space. In Moldova and
Azerbaijan, for example, ministers and heads of agencies are now required to maintain Web sites and blogs, and regularly give interviews to student organizations, broadcasting them over YouTube or IPTV as an effective means to reach out to young people.
This is a relatively new development that demonstrates an awareness among the political elites that the Internet is an important channel for exerting influence over
domestic audiences.
Moreover, a key aspect of the Internet’s political significance remains understudied:
as a person-to-person back channel for communications and social networking essential
to daily life in Russia, where personal contacts and an ‘‘informal economy of favors’’ remain keys to ‘‘getting ahead.’’ 11 In this sense, it is interesting to note that in Uzbekistan
information obtained from the Internet is accepted as being more accurate than that
secured from other sources, reflecting the culture’s strong social networking aspect.
Legal and Regulatory Mechanisms to Control the Internet in the CIS
In recent years, the trend in all CIS states has been toward greater regulation of the
national information space, which includes the Internet. While the constitutions of
(nearly) all countries enshrine the principles of freedom of information and freedom
of expression, the authorities have taken various legal steps to regulate and shape participation in this space. Such measures are described in the following subsections.
Restrictions on Access to or Dissemination of Certain Types of Content
Restriction of Internet Content under State General Laws Freedom of expression is
an important feature in almost all constitutions in the CIS. But increasingly, laws,
decrees, and administrative orders are used to limit the extent of these freedoms, and
in general the tendency is toward restrictions which contradict in spirit, if not in law,
the rights enshrined in constitutional documents. For example, freedom of information
can be restricted when necessary to protect moral values, public order, national security, state secrets, and other privileged data (Belarus, Russia, and Tajikistan). Uzbekistan
goes even further to limit freedom of information to safeguard national, spiritual, cul124
CIS Overview
When a license for a private operator was granted, MTS began offering new services
(GPRS/EDGE for the country). More than 500,000 people joined for about half a year, 10
which is 9–10 percent of the population. Citizens in CIS countries have expressed a
growing enthusiasm for the Internet and 3G mobile services and have manifested their
‘‘e-readiness’’ in politically sensitive times. This trend raises the concern that governments already accustomed to controlling media and communications may wish to
develop means to close down free speech outlets any time they feel threatened.
Government officials recognize the power of the Internet to affect political and social
life, and have actively moved to compete for influence in the space. In Moldova and
Azerbaijan, for example, ministers and heads of agencies are now required to maintain Web sites and blogs, and regularly give interviews to student organizations, broadcasting them over YouTube or IPTV as an effective means to reach out to young people.
This is a relatively new development that demonstrates an awareness among the political elites that the Internet is an important channel for exerting influence over
domestic audiences.
Moreover, a key aspect of the Internet’s political significance remains understudied:
as a person-to-person back channel for communications and social networking essential
to daily life in Russia, where personal contacts and an ‘‘informal economy of favors’’ remain keys to ‘‘getting ahead.’’ 11 In this sense, it is interesting to note that in Uzbekistan
information obtained from the Internet is accepted as being more accurate than that
secured from other sources, reflecting the culture’s strong social networking aspect.
Legal and Regulatory Mechanisms to Control the Internet in the CIS
In recent years, the trend in all CIS states has been toward greater regulation of the
national information space, which includes the Internet. While the constitutions of
(nearly) all countries enshrine the principles of freedom of information and freedom
of expression, the authorities have taken various legal steps to regulate and shape participation in this space. Such measures are described in the following subsections.
Restrictions on Access to or Dissemination of Certain Types of Content
Restriction of Internet Content under State General Laws Freedom of expression is
an important feature in almost all constitutions in the CIS. But increasingly, laws,
decrees, and administrative orders are used to limit the extent of these freedoms, and
in general the tendency is toward restrictions which contradict in spirit, if not in law,
the rights enshrined in constitutional documents. For example, freedom of information
can be restricted when necessary to protect moral values, public order, national security, state secrets, and other privileged data (Belarus, Russia, and Tajikistan). Uzbekistan
goes even further to limit freedom of information to safeguard national, spiritual, cul124
CIS Overview