New law in Belarus deems access to foreign sites illegal

Strictly that! The Belarusian government has declared that accessing foreign sites in the country is a crime, and those who are found guilty of doing so will be fined, as per the Republic of Belarus published Law No. 317-3m, reports CBR. The law, which was passed in November, last year, now limits the citizens of the Republic of Belarus to use the local websites in the country. Stating the reason for the adoption of such a strong law, the government said that it aims at protecting "the rights of Belarusian citizens, the society and the state in the field of information, to improve the quality of Internet services and make them cheaper, and to encourage further growth of the national segment of the Internet network. It is for the first time that an item of legislation contains requirements designed to make the information about state bodies and other state institutions more accessible."

Access to foreign sites illegal

Needless to add, such a law, especially in times of globalisation will put a lot of businesses in the country out of track. More importantly, the law leaves open a huge gap for illegal acts, which in this case would be attempting to access foreign sites, any way. Interestingly, the law not only covers businesses, but also private individuals who might attempt to access foreign sites using their PCs.