Interior Ministry set to deal with slander on web

The Interior Ministry of Belarus is set to “clean” the web from “slander and foul words”.

Representatives of the power ministry have out forward an initiative to place social advertising with an appeal not to use foul words and not to slander, “Ezhednevnik” writes.

The first reaction of holders of electronic resources holders, the idea of the Internal Ministry is to find necessary support and free advertising space.

It is still unknown in what form the ministry is to inform users about commonplace truths of the law. Experts from law-enforcing agencies believe that all troubles of the Belarusian segment of the web in the sphere of slander and foul language are rooted in a wrong understanding of the internet itself. Many Belarusians are still naively thinking that Internet is a island of freedom and permissiveness. In reality web resources are living according to the norms of the Criminal and Administrative codes of Belarus long ago, which is almost totally unknown to common users of forums. It is amusing that the educational work is the function of the Ministry as well. However, as the deputy head of the Internal Ministry department on investigation of crimes in the sphere of high technologies Ihar Parmon confessed during a special round table discussion on Belarusian internet problems, prevention work among Belarusian internet users is insufficiently active.

Social advertising is a real chance to make the internet-community nobler, to implant culture of communications and respect for one’s neighbour. For the sake of this noble deed owners of informational portals are even ready to sacrifice advertising spaces. But it is most likely that spaces free from commercial banners and business offers would be proposed to the Internal Minsirty. Thus education of Belarusians would take place according the scheme of Google company, from time to time, when there is no happy clients for buying a virtual quarter. Additional bonus is an accent on legal aspects when registering and visiting forums.

Despite of the fact that the Ministry doesn’t have a clear plan of actions yet, one could suppose that beside elevated appeals, banners would contain quotations from articles of the law. Experts from the ministry are convinced that having information about a possible punishment, forum users would ‘filter’ their on-line speeches, as it is done in any public area. By the way, to equate the web to a public area appeared in power ministries long ago. Unfortunately to the idea’s authors, the web is still not mentioned in the law alongside with parks, shops and bus stops. There is a gain of common sense in the laudable impulse of the authorities. But it’s hard to equate the web to a public space without knowing the specific character of it. To make the web a public space formally, conflict of laws would emerge, for instance, banning to appear on the web when drunk. At the same time, Interior Ministry workers underline that internet finished to be an anonymous place long ago. It’s rather easy to trace any user. So it is rather easy to impose criminal responsibility for unpleasant sayings or audacious appeals. It is possible that a large-scale crusade of law-enforcers against the on-line fortresses is near at hand. So far it is to be limited to massive public service announcements and appeals to conscience however.

According to the hosting director of the unitary enterprise “Nadyozhnye programmy” (a forum moderator at tut.by portal) Syarhei Pavalishyn, one cannot expect any considerable culture-establishing effect from the initiative of the Interior Ministry:

“I do not think that social advertising could improve culture of the Belarusians and society in general. If people cannot control themselves, no banners would be able to change that, to improve culture. Advertising banners and blocks as such cause irritation. It is easy to imagine what the attempt to persuade Belarusians behave would produce. The problem is, Belarusians behave on the web the way they behave in real life. Internet is a mirror of the society. But all processes are reflected on the web more vividly. In the West one could witness more respectful attitude both in the streets and on numerous Internet forums. In other countries citizens’ education and upbringing process is taking place differently. They are taught to respect the law from early age. So we need a multifaceted approach and not only social advertising to make By-net more refined”.