Access to Internet cafes upon presentation of passport planned

The Ministry of Communications says visitors of Internet cafe will have to show their passports for identification.

According to Interfax, this was told journalists at a press conference given by minister of communication and informatization of Belarus Mikalai Pantsyalei.

“as far as I understand, Internet users in Internet clubs will have to show an ID, because the decree obliges Internet clubs to identification not a user’s device but persons,” Pantsyalei said commenting on Lukashneka’s decree #60 On Measures for Revising Use of the National Segment of the World Wide Web.

He said access to Internet resources would be restricted on a user’s request. “Every user has the right to apply to an Internet service provider and ask to restrict access to certain websites from his or her PC. This question will be solved by a provider,” the head of the Ministry of Communication explained. He added this would allow using parental control function.

The minister explained that access to a certain resource cannot be restricted for public through “gathering signatures and other public activities”.

“What else is meant is that officers of governmental bodies and organizations shouldn’t have access to certain resources,” Pantsyalei said. “Here a chief can decide if the staff should have restricted access to Internet resources. The staff are supposed to perform their office duties and not to visit certain websites,” he said.

Speaking about identification of Internet user’s devices by providers, the head of the Ministry of Communications said: “Service providers will have to incur additional costs to solve the problem of filtering. What to identification of users’ devices, they have necessary equipment. Billing is impossible without identification of a user’s device and every company has billing systems,” he noted.

Speaking about a possibility of appearing new operators with the right to pass international traffic, Pantsyalei said: “If the Operative Analytical Center under the president finds it necessary to apply to us and the Ministry of Communications gives recommendations, it wil be possible.” He also noted that the Ministry hadn’t received applications from any companies offering affiliation to foreign networks and international traffic transmission.