Lukashenka signed Law on Information Protection

On November 10, Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed Law on Information, Informatization, and Information Protection. It was published on November 26 and will come into force six months after the publication.

IT.TUT.BY reports it. The law is aimed at regulation of public relations in the sector of information, informatization, and information protection.

As Andrei Illyin, director if informatization department, said in an official statement the law will allow to fill the gaps of the information and informatization legislation relating to issues of information security of the state, individuals, and organisations, including protection of personal data, information interoperability of governmental bodies and information exchange. Besides, some institutions of information rights will be modernized taking into account development of information technologies and changes in information relations, and information, informatization, and information protection legislation of the Republic of Belarus will be standardized with the legislation of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Governmental officers repeatedly emphasised that this law won’t cover work of media and electronic media. “No rules of behaviour on the Internet are introduced [...] A citizen receives a right to reject the information he or she is imposed,” minister of communication and information Mikalai Pantsyalei said.

As the Charter’97 press center has reported, independent experts think the law reduces information environment in Belarus.

According to lawyer Mikhail Pastukhou, “a total control over all streams of information will be established in Belarus. The so called information ghetto will be created, where the state will be able to watch and control any information.”

“People will get only selected information, if it concerns them or their relatives. Access to information about activity of governmental agencies, economic, political situation, international life is doubtful. That means that the state is becoming an owner, a monopolist of all information,” Mikhail Pastukhou explains.