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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from Dave and GG Farber

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