been created since 2007 when elections were last held. 6 Even though there were
expectations of increased political activity online from the opposition before the October 2008 presidential election, no notable political discussion was documented. By
contrast, the president and the government update their Web sites periodically. 7
Online groups are popular with young Internet users. Most of these groups focus on
issues of practical interest—that is, free mailing lists, file-hosting services, forums, dating, blogs, and WAP services. A few opposition youth groups have focused on organizing public actions against corruption and freedom of speech (e.g., Dalga, OI). One
example of such youth activist groups is the ANTV—the first organized and moderated
Azerbaijani video channel on YouTube, which aims to reveal unpopular decisions
taken by officials. 8 Based on the reaction of state officials to events highlighted by
ANTV, it is likely that officials are tracking it regularly.
The Internet has also become a source of information for government bodies and the
police. For example, at the beginning of 2008, the police tracked down online information from a car drivers’ community Web site in relation to a forthcoming street race. As
a result, the police arrested 17 young drivers for speeding.
The longstanding ‘‘cyberwar’’ over the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijani and Armenian hackers continues to take place, although rather
infrequently. No official sanctions have been imposed upon Azerbaijani hackers. The
attacks do not appear to be part of a government-organized campaign, but rather the
work of individuals acting on their own. Web site defacements and DoS attacks have
also led to disruptions in the Azerbaijani Internet.
Internet in Azerbaijan
During the Soviet era, Azerbaijan was a major center for IT development, particularly
in the area of process control systems. This legacy left the country with a reasonably
large and well-developed technical infrastructure, including several research institutes
and a political leadership savvy about the importance of the ICT sector. Internet development is following the pattern typical of many developing countries, with access centered on major cities, particularly the capital city Baku. Overall Internet penetration is
rising as a result of the support of the government’s ICT strategy as well as the large
Azerbaijani diaspora, for whom the Internet is increasingly an important channel for
maintaining contact with their homeland. The number of Internet users has grown
over the last several years to 1.5 million users, or 18.2 percent of the population, as of
March 2009, estimated by the Ministry of Communications 9 (or close to 17 percent for
2008 according to the latest estimates of ITU 10 ).
Many Azerbaijanis access the Internet from shared connections, such as their
place of work or study, or from Internet cafe ´s (with the latter providing access for 19
percent of users in 2007). The rate of ownership of computers is low (2.4 units per
Azerbaijan
151
expectations of increased political activity online from the opposition before the October 2008 presidential election, no notable political discussion was documented. By
contrast, the president and the government update their Web sites periodically. 7
Online groups are popular with young Internet users. Most of these groups focus on
issues of practical interest—that is, free mailing lists, file-hosting services, forums, dating, blogs, and WAP services. A few opposition youth groups have focused on organizing public actions against corruption and freedom of speech (e.g., Dalga, OI). One
example of such youth activist groups is the ANTV—the first organized and moderated
Azerbaijani video channel on YouTube, which aims to reveal unpopular decisions
taken by officials. 8 Based on the reaction of state officials to events highlighted by
ANTV, it is likely that officials are tracking it regularly.
The Internet has also become a source of information for government bodies and the
police. For example, at the beginning of 2008, the police tracked down online information from a car drivers’ community Web site in relation to a forthcoming street race. As
a result, the police arrested 17 young drivers for speeding.
The longstanding ‘‘cyberwar’’ over the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijani and Armenian hackers continues to take place, although rather
infrequently. No official sanctions have been imposed upon Azerbaijani hackers. The
attacks do not appear to be part of a government-organized campaign, but rather the
work of individuals acting on their own. Web site defacements and DoS attacks have
also led to disruptions in the Azerbaijani Internet.
Internet in Azerbaijan
During the Soviet era, Azerbaijan was a major center for IT development, particularly
in the area of process control systems. This legacy left the country with a reasonably
large and well-developed technical infrastructure, including several research institutes
and a political leadership savvy about the importance of the ICT sector. Internet development is following the pattern typical of many developing countries, with access centered on major cities, particularly the capital city Baku. Overall Internet penetration is
rising as a result of the support of the government’s ICT strategy as well as the large
Azerbaijani diaspora, for whom the Internet is increasingly an important channel for
maintaining contact with their homeland. The number of Internet users has grown
over the last several years to 1.5 million users, or 18.2 percent of the population, as of
March 2009, estimated by the Ministry of Communications 9 (or close to 17 percent for
2008 according to the latest estimates of ITU 10 ).
Many Azerbaijanis access the Internet from shared connections, such as their
place of work or study, or from Internet cafe ´s (with the latter providing access for 19
percent of users in 2007). The rate of ownership of computers is low (2.4 units per
Azerbaijan
151