IP: Russian government wants to restrict sites in .RU domain

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> > Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 18:19:31 -0500
> > To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
> > From: Barry Steinhardt <Barrys () aclu org>
> > Subject: Governmental control over .RU zone
> >
> >
> > Declan,
> >
> > Here is a disturbing report from Russia that was posted to the Global
> > Internet Liberty Campaign (www.GILC.org) list. Sergei Smirnov of the
> > Russian Human Rights Network reports that the Russian government plans to
> > control the .RU domain with the prospect that web sites might be licensed.
> >
> > Russia, of course, is also the home of SORM the edict which forces ISPs to
> > route all email traffic to the state security service the FSB. (The FSB is
> > the domestic successor to the KGB). SORM is currently being challenged by a
> > St Petersburg ISP and the human rights group Citizens Watch as a violation
> > of European Human Rights Law. The issue. is likely to end up in the
> > European Court of Justice, where it could set an important precedent for
> > all of the European nations who belong to the Council of Europe..
> >
> > Barry Steinhardt
> >
> >
> > On 28 December 1998 Russian premier minister Vladimir Putin and members of
> > the goverment met Russian Internet community representatives. During that
> > meeting the minister of communication and information Leonid Reitman
> > announced his plans on governmental control over registration of new domain
> > names in Russian .ru zone. A new structure will be created for this purpose
> > only, said the minister. In draft document obtained from the government it
> > is described as new sites must be created and registered.
> >
> > Separately from all other events this information means almost nothing since
> > there are no strict limitations in papers presented by the government.
> > However the growing interest of Russian government towards Internet became
> > bad tradition after Reitman declared earlier that Internet should be
> > controlled by the government for "bad sites" to be closed and next attempt
> > of Russian powers to review the Internet "official status" as mass media
> > with mandatory registration and licensing of websites.
> >
> > The governmental discomfort has been amplified after two major events. The
> > first one was the Chechen site which offered "alternative" information about
> > the current war campaign (often polar to one produced by governmental
> > media). The second one was scandal around the results of parliamenrtary
> > elections published on the Web (it is prohibited by Russian laws to publish
> > such materials in mass media while elections are going on; however, Internet
> > is not mentioned in home legislation as "mass media").
> >
> > Sergei Smirnov
> > Human Rights Network
> > http://www.hro.org
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________________________________
> > Barry Steinhardt                               212 549 2508 (v)
> > Associate Director                             212 549 2656 (f)
> > American Civil Liberties Union         Barrys () aclu org
> > 125 Broad Street
> > New York, NY 10004                             http://www.aclu.org
>
>
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A Happy Holiday and a safe New Year

from Dave and GG Farber

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