Censorship (control and anonymity) on the Internet World experience

Global trends in the world

2022

In Spain, for the first time sent to prison for fakes on the Internet

The Supreme Court of Catalonia passed the first sentence in Spain for spreading fakes on social networks. This became known in November 2022. Read more here.

Pakistani woman sentenced to death for 'blasphemous' WhatsApp messages

In mid-January 2022, a court in Pakistan sentenced a woman to death for blasphemous messages sent through the American free instant messaging and voice service WhatsApp. Read more here.

Ukrainian fined $155 for like under the coat of arms of the USSR in Odnoklassniki

On January 10, 2022, it became known that the Ukrainian was fined 4250 hryvnia (about $155 at the exchange rate for this day) for like under the coat of arms of the USSR on the Odnoklassniki social network, blocked in Ukraine. Read more here.

2021

The US State Department is considering allocating funds for the annual Freedom of the Internet program

The US State Department is considering allocating funds for the annual Freedom of the Internet program. This is stated in a notice published by the US department in December 2021.

The goal of the State Department Bureau on Democracy, Human Rights and Labor is to protect an open, compatible, safe and reliable Internet by promoting fundamental freedoms, human rights and the free flow of information on the network through comprehensive support for civil society, the text specifies.

The list of topics to be worked on by future contractors consists of four items. The first - "Technology" - among other things involves the development of ways to "counteract censorship."

The second is "Digital Security." It focuses on activities that contribute to "improving the digital security of users in societies practicing a repressive approach to the Internet." The third topic is "Policy and Protection of Rights." Here we are talking, among other things, about the development of human rights measures "that expand the capabilities of civil society to counter restrictive laws" in the field of Internet regulation.

The fourth topic - "Applied Research" - involves work to increase the benefits of the Internet Freedom program around the world.

As noted in the US Foreign Ministry, applications from organizations interested in participating in the program are expected there for December 2021.

Applications aimed at the global level or at any region will be considered, - specified in the notification.

According to preliminary information, the minimum size of one grant can be $500 thousand, the maximum - $3 million.

In the fall of 2021, it became known that it United States Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to launch the European countries a program of "support for democracy" in eight. As reported, such states could include,,,, Bulgaria,, and the Czech Republic Hungary Poland United States Romania Slovakia Slovenia can Croatia^[1]

Russian Foreign Ministry called the removal of German-language YouTube channels RT "an act of unprecedented information aggression"

On September 29, 2021, it became known that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called YouTube's decision to remove RT DE and Der Fehlende Part channels "an act of unprecedented information aggression." Read more here.

Adoption in Texas of a law prohibiting blocking social media users "for their point of view"

In mid-September 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law regulating the moderation of content by social media companies. The initiative controversially prohibits the prohibition of demonization or other restriction of content based on the point of view of the user or another person. Read more here.

States introduce tougher measures to protect children from harmful online content

Tightening legal measures to protect children from unwanted and dangerous information is one of the world's main trends in Internet regulation, the Main Radio Frequency Center reported on August 26, 2021. This conclusion was voiced by analysts of the Scientific and Technical Center of the Main Radio Frequency Center (NTC FSUE GRCC) based on the results of the study "Legal Regulation of the Protection of Underage Internet Users from Malicious Content."^[2]

"In all developed countries, work is underway today to protect children not only from directly prohibited content, but also from content that is not formally prohibited, but can be harmful to minors," said Alexander Fedotov, head of the Scientific and Technical Center of the State Scientific and Technical Center. "

In Russia, many legal measures have already been introduced to protect children from harmful content on the Web both in relation to information prohibited for distribution (child pornography, materials on the manufacture of drugs, etc.), and non-prohibited but harmful information (obscene language, violence, cruelty, etc.), which other countries are still considering.

On February 1, 2021, the FZ-530 "On Amendments to the Federal Law" On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection "" entered into force. New responsibilities for social networks are introduced - to timely identify and block socially dangerous content. Also, in accordance with the FZ-530, each social network, starting from 2022, must annually, no later than February 1, publicly report on the results of such self-control activities.

Any user of the social network can report prohibited content found through the official website of Roskomnadzor and using the application in the App Store and Google Play. Based on the results of the audit, illegal materials are either blocked out of court or sent to authorized bodies for subsequent appeal to the court.

In the UK and Ireland, they are discussing bills under which online platforms are obliged to control not only illegal content, but also legal, but also dangerous for minors. Platforms classify content as malicious if its nature and distribution "have a significant adverse physical and psychological impact on children." For example, information about self-harm, suicidal content and even legal pornography. To do this, you need to take into account the number of users who may encounter such materials, and the speed of their distribution.

Many states emphasize: it is important to develop a mechanism for user complaints about dangerous materials. A draft Digital Services Act is being discussed at EU level. Digital service providers, in particular online platforms, want to oblige to filter illegal and control unwanted information. According to the authors of the bill, portals will be required to introduce mechanisms for filing and challenging complaints about illegal and undesirable content, as well as publish transparency reports regarding it.

Since 2017 Italy , parents or minors over 14 years old may require sites to remove malicious materials within 48 hours. And in May 2021 India providers , the services were obliged to improve the system of manual filtering of content and interaction with users. When publishing information in the adult-only category, the service should provide age verification.

From June 1, 2021, Chinese online resources can be blocked at the request of users if they contain data harmful to children. In the PRC, to protect minors from dangerous network information, a rule of law is already in force, which obliges to confirm the identity of users in online video games. Participants under the age of 18 (or 16 or 12 - depending on the marking of a particular game) will not be able to play such video games in case of age category discrepancy. Age verification is carried out using the state system for confirming the identity of the user.

Blocking TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser services in India

At the end of January 2021, the Ministry electronic engineers information technology India introduced a permanent blocking of 59 applications developed by Chinese companies. Among them are a TikTok messenger WeChat and a developed Alibaba browser, UC Browser the Clash of Kings game and a number of other applications. More. here

2020

Russia proposed new Internet governance standards to the UN

Russia has invited the United Nations (UN) to develop new standards in the field of Internet governance. This was announced on November 17, 2020 by the deputy head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the RFMaksim Parshin. According to him, it is necessary to determine in the organization the structure that will develop and implement legal norms.

The International Telecommunication Union can become such a platform. We propose to concentrate on developing mechanisms for transforming the results of its work in such a way that decisions have not only a declarative nature. We believe that the effectiveness of the forum will significantly increase, - said the deputy minister (quoted by TASS).

He noted that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has become a real catalyst for the development of communication services, digital tools for business and education, diagnostic systems, health monitoring and first aid using telemedicine tools. At the same time, mass digitalization poses new questions, including those related to Internet security, personal data protection, the spread of fakes and deliberately false information on the Internet, Parshin emphasized.

In this regard, the Ministry of Digital Development considers it important to develop a global pact, which, among other things, will contain a clear distribution of the roles and responsibilities of states, society and technology companies, as well as uniform approaches to ensuring the security, rights and freedoms and protection of personal data. In addition, measures to combat the spread of disinformation, mainly through social networks and instant messengers, may be included there.

We propose, within the framework of the UN, to define a structure designed to develop and implement legal norms and standards in the field of Internet governance, - said the deputy head of the Ministry of Digital Science.[3]

Almost half of internet users are confident of facing online censorship

VPN provider ^[4] published in September 2020 a study that reveals the attitude of citizens of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Russia, Norway and Sweden to online censorship. A survey conducted as part of the study showed that a significant part of people in each country do not trust the information that can be found on the Internet, and many even suspect that it is censored.

Consumers are confident that they face censorship on the Internet, and most of all in the United States

As a result of the fact that against the background of the pandemic, people were forced to spend a lot of time at home, as well as amid the growth of political activism, online activity around the world in 2020 reached a record level. The report of the research organization DataReport^[5] showed an increase in the number of Internet users by 7%, and according to Akamai^[6] global Internet traffic increased by 30%. As the number of connections grows, so do people's fears that censorship will prevent them from receiving accurate information in real time.

The TunnelBear survey showed that almost half (45%) of respondents in seven countries do not trust the integrity of information on the Internet. In fact, two in five (44%) people around the world reported that either they themselves, or someone they know, faced censorship on the Internet, and this figure is highest in the United States (54%), and Sweden and Norway are slightly behind (53% each).

In Russia, more than half (52.4%) of respondents believe that most of the information is censored, with 45.0% of respondents believing that they have faced political censorship, and 60.8% - that with moral and moral.

In the world as a whole, two-thirds (69%) of respondents believe that online information available in their country can be censored, while more than a third (35%) are sure that a significant amount of news is censored in their country. Yet censorship appears to be less important to users in the UK, Canada and Australia - nearly a third (31%) of respondents in those countries say they have never considered whether online information is censored.

Consumers suspect political censorship

Censorship can take various forms, purposefully affecting users. Consumers are divided on the most common form today.

More than a third (39%) of respondents believe they face political censorship as governments and political parties control content to avoid unrest and other difficulties, according to the survey. This number rises to almost half (44%) in the United States.

All dating services blocked in Pakistan

In early September, Pakistani authorities blocked all dating services, including Tinder and Grindr, due to "immoral and obscene content." Read more here.

Russian Foreign Ministry urged to take the Internet under international control

In April 2020, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for taking the Internet under international control to ensure a more effective fight against global problems such as the coronavirus pandemic, the Interfax news agency reported.

According to Andrei Krutskikh, Director of the Department of International Information Security of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the pandemic could increase the dependence of countries and people in general on computer technology and the Internet.

"The challenge is to make the Internet more efficient and less vulnerable. It should really belong to the international community, should really be internationalized and, accordingly, be under objective international control, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past and in order to organize as effectively as possible in the future work to combat global threats, "Krutskikh said.

As Krutskikh emphasized, "the Internet is not a private toy, not the property of any one country or group of countries."

2019

UN: Technology can be used for good as well as evil

On November 26, the 14th World Governance Forum was opened in Berlin. Internet The event takes place under the auspices of the United Nations, hosted by the Ministry of Economy. Germany More than 3 thousand participants registered for the forum.

The forum was opened by a speech by the Secretary-General of UNONAntonio Guterres. In his acceptance speech, he compared the development of the Internet and the degree of its influence on people's lives with the appearance of the first printed books: "This radically changed the possibilities for the dissemination of information, training, the exchange of thoughts and ideas, as well as for self-expression."

Guterres noted that three types of inequality in society are now observed due to the development of the Internet: digital, social and political. Digital inequality occurs where people for some reason cannot access the network and basic services, or where there is discrimination against the rights and freedoms to express and access information. Currently, more than 3.5 billion people do not have access to the network. The UN Sustainable Development Programme includes measures to bridge the digital divide: the plan calls for 7 billion people to access the network by 2030, and the entire world's population by 2040.

The social gap is due to the fact that any technology can be used both for good and for evil: "We cannot yet understand whether the Internet makes us equal, or increases the gap between us. Whether it makes us more united, or disconnects us. The same technology, such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence geolocation analysis, can be used both for good and for spying on objectionable. "

And, finally, the political gap between states arises from the fact that on the one hand there are more and more bans on the exchange of information and access to services of other countries, censorship is growing, and on the other hand, the number of cross-border cyber attacks, including those organized by some states against others, is increasing. Under these conditions, governments of different countries must defend their sovereignty and pass laws that can negatively affect the integrity of the network, and therefore lead to fragmentation of the Internet.

German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke at the opening. She drew parallels between the Berlin Wall, the 30th anniversary of the fall of which was celebrated this year, and the new "digital walls" that humanity is now building on the Internet: "We often talk about sovereignty on the Internet, and it is really important. However, we often understand this word to be completely different. Sovereignty should not be determined by infringement of access rights, censorship or protectionism. At the same time, we must clearly understand what freedom is and where its borders are. We must not protect some people to the detriment of others. "

According to her, the only opportunity to overcome centrifugal processes is to establish a multilateral dialogue with various stakeholders: "There is a so-called network effect - when, with the growth of the community, the value of participation in it grows. That is why we must attract as many stakeholders as possible. States will not be able to cope with this on their own - we must work together on standards and think about how to connect those who do not have such an opportunity now to the Internet. "

Angela Mergel also noted that international cooperation will continue to play a leading role in these processes, but we must remember that the borders along which fragmentation can pass do not necessarily coincide with state borders. Sometimes they run between global corporations: "In 2017, during the Big 20 meeting, we agreed to single out the problem of Internet development and preventing fragmentation into a separate area of ​ ​ work. And of course, the United Nations will play a big role in this. However, we must remember that now we are talking not only about national, but also about corporate segments of the Internet. "

Chrome and Firefox promised to protect users from government spyware

Google and Mozilla have blocked the possibility of installing a "spy" certificate in Chrome and Firefox browsers, the use of which was previously tried to impose on Internet users of Kazakhstan by the authorities under the pretext of protection against cyber threats and illegal content. This was announced in August 2019 by the resource Vice^[7].

Also, representatives of companies announced that they oppose surveillance in any form and will always take appropriate measures aimed at protecting users of their products around the world.

The root certificate is a special file that, after installation in the user's web browser, allows the user to work with encrypted traffic. Modern browsers come with a list of trusted organizations that issue root certificates. Such organizations are called CA (Certificate Authority). Certification authorities, in turn, can issue individual certificates to specific sites.

As Vice notes, the government of Kazakhstan is not among the trusted CAs, so it cannot count on support from Google and Mozilla. However, it can still oblige citizens to use their own browser with any set of pre-installed certificates.

The head of Facebook proposed to develop global rules for regulating the Network

The authorities should take a more active part in regulating the Internet, said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. He expressed his point of view in an open letter in March 2019^[8].

The head of Facebook proposes to introduce new rules in four areas: malicious content, election integrity, data privacy and the transfer of information to various platforms. Zuckerberg stressed that "all malicious content cannot be removed," however, with the use of many data exchange services, a "more standardized approach" is required. In particular, it is necessary to adopt new rules establishing what content will be considered malicious, and obliging companies to develop measures to minimize such content.

In addition, Zuckerberg highlighted the need to protect the electoral process and the integrity of election-related material. Recognizing the political nature of advertising on the Internet is not always easy, he said. In this regard, it is necessary to update the legislation to take into account new threats and set common standards for the industry.

Uniform rules are also needed in the areas of privacy of personal data, as well as the ability to transfer information to various platforms. The introduction of a common global framework for all states will ensure that "the Internet is not fragmented," and each user will be protected to the same extent, Zuckerberg said.

"By updating the rules for the Internet, we can save its better side - freedom of expression and the opportunity for entrepreneurs to create a new one. At the same time, such a step will help protect society from larger risks, "the head of Facebook believes

.

2017

Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube to unite against online terrorism

Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube founded a partnership in 2017 aimed at combating terrorists on the Internet. The Global Internet Forum on Counter-Terrorism has been created as part of several existing initiatives that are designed to track terrorist recruitment material across the network. It is assumed that the forum will facilitate the interaction of its members with each other, with governments, small companies and non-governmental organizations, writes The Verge^[9].

The forum will expand in scope over time, but its main goals include improving technology to detect extremist material, spreading best practices to eliminate extremism and online hate. The forum will also work with the UN's counter-terrorism committee to host a series of workshops.

The initiative is partly a response to pressure from European authorities, who are demanding to limit the spread of online hate. That worried some privacy advocates in the U.S., where free speech rights are broader. So far, the source is finding it difficult to assess how effective the companies' initiatives will be. Their statement, however, said more information about the project would emerge "over time."

Foreign intelligence agencies demand IT companies access encrypted data

States belonging to the Five Eyes alliance of intelligence agencies (USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) will discuss the possibility of obtaining encrypted data from technology companies to prevent terrorist attacks, Reuters reported.

According to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the meeting of official representatives of the countries will take place in July, RIA Novosti informs. According to the Australian prime minister, the alliance intends to discuss how to prevent a situation where "terrorists and members of organized criminal groups operate with impunity in an uncontrolled digital space."

2016

World IT corporations intend to fight terrorism

YouTube Google,,, and Twitter Facebook Microsoft will join forces in the fight against terrorism. World IT companies will create a joint database of content identification by an extremist.

A joint database of identification of terrorist content will be created by global IT corporations. Thus, YouTube, Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft will act as a united front in the fight against terrorism on a global scale. In a joint appeal, the companies said: "Content that promotes terrorism has no place on our services. We hope that our association will strengthen the effectiveness of the fight^[10].

For the database, "digital identifiers" will be developed, which will mark content (photo, video) containing calls for extremist actions. These markers will help other platforms identify and remove prohibited material more quickly. The launch of the joint base is scheduled for early 2017.

GNI Association announced a global threat to freedom on the Web

Freedom of speech and the right of people to privacy are under threat due to the active fight against the spread of extremist materials on the Internet. This statement was made by the organization Global Network Initiative (GNI), created by leading American IT companies. See the Global Network Initiative (GNI) questionnaire for details.

UN condemns countries restricting citizens' internet access

UN The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in the summer of 2016 condemning countries restricting access to Internet their citizens,^[11] Onliner.by writes^[12] relies on the council's previous statement that "the same rights that people have offline must be respected online." In particular, this concerns freedom of expression and access to information.

According to The Verge^[13], the majority of Council members voted to adopt the resolution last Friday. Representatives of "authoritarian regimes/a minority of authoritarian regions/including Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, as well as democracies such as South Africa and India" were against. These countries called on the UN to exclude the provisions of the resolution on "unconditional condemnation of measures intended to restrict access to the dissemination of information on the Internet."

The resolution has no legal force against any states, but it will allow human rights defenders around the world to rely on this decision in their activities.

2015: Review of Foreign Internet Regulation for 2015

The Open New Democracy Foundation published^[14] report analyzing the practice of foreign Internet regulation in 2015. The report addresses various aspects of Internet regulation - personal data, unfair competition, user control, encryption, blocking, consumer protection and network neutrality.

As one of the main trends, the report noted the end of the era of freedom of Internet entrepreneurship in the form in which it existed earlier, that is, in the ability of transnational corporations to fully use their unclear legal status in European states. Despite the fact that at present there is still some discrepancy in the actions of EU regulators and the judicial system, an agreement in principle has already been reached on the principle of recognizing the collection of personal data by Internet companies as a commercially profitable act, and not to improve the operation of technical systems, which requires informed and voluntary consent from users.

There is also activity, both in Europe and in the United States, of antimonopoly authorities, whose actions are also aimed at suppressing the previously practically uncontrolled actions of the largest players in the Internet market. It can be assumed that soon such companies, primarily Google, will begin to voluntarily surrender their positions in order to avoid sanctions, and the investment climate in the field of national European Internet projects will improve.

The intensification of international terrorism has caused a sharp "tightening of the nuts" across the spectrum of Internet regulation. Even in countries with traditionally strong positions of a self-regulatory approach, there is a tightening of legislation and freedom of dissemination of information. The restrictions introduced and developed relate to blocking and content, and encryption, and control over users.

Following these trends led to the fact that the development of the consumer market and the consumer protection system slowed down slightly, but a number of valuable initiatives, especially streamlining this system in the European space, were adopted, which allows us to hope for further development of this sector.

Kristina Potupchik, President of the Foundation Foundation, Member of the OP RF: "When it comes to Internet regulation, there is not a fully justified opinion that Russia domestic regulatory practices stand out sharply against the global background. This opinion, for example, is shared by the authors of the#.2A_.D0.94.D0.B0.D0.BD.D0.BD.D1.8B.D0.B5_.D0.BF.D1.80.D0.B0.D0.B2.D0.BE.D0.B7.D0.B0.D1.89.D0.B8.D1.82.D0.BD.D0.BE.D0.B9_.D0.B3.D1.80.D1.83.D0.BF.D0.BF.D1.8B_.22.D0.90.D0.B3.D0.BE.D1.80.D0.B0.22 recently published report "Agora," where the concept of Internet regulation is replaced by the concept of restriction of freedom. Internet Nevertheless, if we look at the foreign practice of regulating the Internet, we will see that governments, especially European ones, often take a similar position on regulatory processes. In addition, the dissatisfaction of users and governments with the activities of transnational Internet corporations is sharply growing, which translates into attempts to protect the citizens of their states, including at the judicial level. Thus, the court Great Britain ruled that targeted advertising on the screens of mobile devices of a group of citizens who filed a lawsuit appeared there precisely because the company Google secretly collected and systematized data on Internet behavior of users in 2011-2012. This practice is recognized as unfair. "

What to do to maintain anonymity? Internet security

Main article: Internet security

CIS countries

Russia

• Censorship (control) on the Internet. Experience of Russia
• Roskomnadzor's policy on Internet control

Belarus

• Control of user behavior on the Internet in Belarus

Ukraine

2022: Ukraine blocks access to most Russian sites

On To Ukraine , access to - Russian Internet resources is almost completely blocked. This became known on April 20, 2022 from the words of the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Alexander Fedienko.

According to the people's deputy, according to the decision of the National Coordination Center, operators must block all cyberspace of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

Our operators, fulfilling the decision of the National Coordination Center, which issued an appropriate order, blocked all cyberspace of the Russian Federation. It is almost impossible to open any Russian site from the territory of Ukraine, "said Alexander Fedienko[15].

2017

Updated rules for registration of subscribers of mobile operators approved in Ukraine

In November 2017, the National Commission for the Regulation of Communications of Ukraine (NCRI) approved new rules for registering subscribers of mobile operators. The rules have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice for approval. This was reported by the information resource UBR^[16].

In August 2017, the Ukrainian authorities developed a bill providing for mandatory registration of mobile subscribers, as well as registration of equipment by international identifiers. NCRI approved this initiative, noting only that the transition period for telecom operators should be increased from 3 to 6 months.

One of the main innovations in the approved rules is the ability to remotely register. These innovations are designed to help Ukrainian law enforcement agencies fight cybercriminals and fraudsters. Now Ukrainian users for identification need to personally appear in the service center with documents. Currently, over 92% of Ukrainian subscribers are anonymous users of prepaid services.

According to representatives of mobile operators, these rules do not oblige subscribers to anything. They indicate only a description of the registration process itself. "Registration allows you to simplify and secure the procedure for replacing a SIM card. The registered subscriber is much more protected from the encroachment of fraudsters. And in the future, in the case of registration of all subscribers, this will allow introducing new services, including state ones. For example, the possibility of online voting in elections, "explained Victoria Pavlovskaya, spokeswoman for Vodafone Ukraine.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, on behalf of the President of the country, will develop at the legislative level ways to influence objectionable web resources by mid-May 2017. It is planned that with the help of new laws, site blocking will occur in an accelerated mode. Petro Poroshenko's order states: "Within a three-month period, submit bills to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in accordance with the established procedure regarding the implementation of the provisions of the convention on cybercrime, in particular, the introduction of blocking (restrictions) by court decision by operators and telecommunications providers of a certain (identified) information resource (information service)." It is assumed that this document will allow "to implement the provisions of the convention on cybercrime in terms of ensuring the shelf life of computer data, collecting and withdrawing evidence in electronic form in criminal cases of committing computer crimes and terrorist acts, using computer systems and networks." The State Intelligence Service should submit a plan for the introduction of an information security audit system in state departments and at critical infrastructure facilities, as well as propose a system for encouraging specialists who are employed in the field of information security.

In Ukraine, two bloggers were imprisoned for propaganda of the "Russian world" in "Vkontakte"

In February 2017, a Ukrainian court sentenced two users to five years in prison Vkontakte"" for leading publics on the social network that support separatist sentiments. Attackers 1993 and 1994. births were convicted under Part 2 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine by the Slavic Court of Donetsk Region. As the Ukrainian prosecutor's office of the Donetsk region told the press, the purpose of the criminals was to change the territorial borders of Ukraine, in connection with which they carried out "information support for terrorist organizations of the DPR and LPR." According to the investigation, anti-Ukrainian publications began to appear in public in February 2014.

In April 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) put an end to this activity, arresting the attackers at the request of the prosecutor's office. The accused did not admit their guilt, which, however, was proved during the trial. The prosecutor's office reports that the convicts popularized the ideas of the "Russian World," advocating the territorial expansion of Russia beyond the current borders.

Part 2 of Article 110 refers to actions that can be interpreted as "an encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine." However, punishment should be carried out only if there are concomitant circumstances: the actions were committed by a representative of the authorities, or by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, or were committed repeatedly, or the actions were accompanied by incitement to national or religious hatred. The prosecutor's office does not say what kind of circumstance made it possible to convict the criminals under Article 110^[17] of^[18]

2016

A resident of the Lviv region was sentenced to three years in prison for actions that undermine the national security of Ukraine

In November 2016, a resident of the Lviv region was sentenced to three years in prison for actions that undermine national security. Ukraine The publications that he left to Vkontakte from May 2014 to March 2015 were recognized as propaganda. Among them were calls for changing the constitutional system by force, seizing power in the state, changing borders, "saving Ukraine," overthrowing the "occupation regime," and USA destroying dissenters. The case was classified under Part 2 of Article 109 and Part 1 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as "an encroachment on territorial integrity and actions aimed at changing the constitutional order."

A resident of the Sumy region was sentenced to pay a fine of UAH 8500 for calls for the overthrow of state power

In February 2016, a resident of the Sumy region was sentenced to pay a fine of UAH 8500 (about p19 thousand) for calls for the overthrow of state power posted by him to Vkontakte. His actions were classified according to part 3 of article 109 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine as "public calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional system and for the seizure of state power through the media." His own page on the social network, like the Bandera Legion group he created, were equated with the media, since an unlimited number of persons had access to them. The number of subscribers of the page and group was 2 thousand and 26 thousand people, respectively. During the trial, the convict pleaded guilty.

Kazakhstan

Main article: Internet regulation in Kazakhstan

Azerbaijan

2017: Blocking messengers

Before the Islamiad in Azerbaijan in May 2017, international traffic was closed for services such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Skype. There are no official explanations on this matter, and users interpret the actions of the regulator in their own way.

Thus, the head of the Internet forum of Azerbaijan Osman Gundyuz suggested that such a decision was made by the country's authorities on the eve of international competitions - Islamiad in order to ensure security. "Unfortunately, the ministry does not give explanations, but since the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies remains the regulatory government agency in this area, it is obvious that without the permission of this department, mobile operators and the backbone provider cannot personally make such a decision. Our monitoring has shown that the ban on foreign communications is carried out by these companies, "he says. Gunduz believes that since the country's authorities cannot access user information, it was decided to close the entire communication resource. "A decision may be made to close resources also to prevent congestion of Internet traffic during competitions in Baku. There are interested economic parties in this process, since it is no secret that international communication carried out through instant messengers hits the income of mobile operators. But the ban on the use of services grossly violates the right of citizens to receive information. On the other hand, such a block damages the international image of Azerbaijan and the future profits of the Azerbaijani Regional Data Center and Delta Telekom, which could ensure the inflow of foreign currency into the republic. Global resources do not like the blockade, "he said^[19]

.

2016: Honor and Dignity of the President on the Internet

A fine, correctional labor and imprisonment now provides for the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan for persons defaming and degrading the honor and dignity of the president on the Internet. The draft law "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan" was adopted in November 2016 by the Milli Majlis, Trend reports^[20]. From now on, citizens insulting the President of Azerbaijan in the Internet space can be fined from 500 to 1000 manats, sent to correctional labor for up to two years, or imprisoned for the same period of time. The bill was submitted to parliament by the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Zakir Garalov.

Prior to the amendments in the criminal code, the same acts against the President of Azerbaijan were considered by the court only if they were distributed in the media or during public speeches.

It is also proposed to introduce criminal liability in Azerbaijan for slander and insults inflicted on the Internet space signed by fake names or using fake profiles, reports MOSCOW-BAKU.RU^[21].

A new article - No. 148-1 - invited the Milli Majlis to introduce the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Zakir Garalov into the Criminal Procedure Code. If the code is supplemented, the actions listed above will be subject to a fine of 1000 to 1500 manats, community service of 360 to 380 hours, correctional work of up to 2 years, or imprisonment of up to 1 years.

"Fake profiles and nicknames," according to the updated criminal law, will be considered false or hidden under other initials in social networks and information resources messages that do not allow establishing the user's identity. In addition, this is information related to another person, which is used without his consent.

Tajikistan

At the end of 2017, the communications service under the Government of Tajikistan sent a letter to local cellular operators and Internet providers to cancel NGN telephony licenses from these companies. This was reported by the publication "Asia-plus"^[22].

As a result, telecom operators were forced to block the corresponding service. True, operators do not have a final understanding of what exactly they are required of, in connection with which some providers limited themselves to blocking access to NGN services from foreign IP addresses.

One of the local mobile operators "Babylon" did not have time to fulfill the requirement of the authorities in time. As a result, on December 15, 2017, its head office of services in the capital of the republic, Dushanbe, was sealed by the Communications Service. After disabling access to NGN services from foreign IP addresses, the operator's office resumed work.

Turkmenistan

2021: In Turkmenistan, Internet users are forced to renounce VPN on the Quran

As it became known in August 2021, in Turkmenistan, Internet users are forced to renounce VPN on the Koran.

According to Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen service of Radio Liberty (the Russian Radio Liberty is included in the register of media information agents in Russia), one local resident said that she signed up for an Internet connection 1.5 years ago. When it was her turn, officials demanded that a resident of Turkmenistan, among other things, swear on the Quran, sacred to Muslims. She had to vow that she would not use VPN services.

And without VPN on the Internet, no sites open. I don't even know what to do, "the woman added.

According to the newspaper, in one of the regions of the country, an employee of the Ministry of National Security, who oversees the local branch of Turkmentelecom, forces citizens to take such an oath.

The article notes that the Ainur case is not the first in a series of such incidents. Although there is no official information on this matter by August 12, 2021, local media write that Turkmen officials demanded that residents take such an oath more than once.

The report notes that the practice of swearing in citizens is widespread in Turkmenistan, but earlier the oaths were taken not on the Koran, but on the book "Rukhnama," the author of which was announced by the first president of the country, Saparmurat Niyazov.

According to the Comparitech report, which provides information on cybersecurity and privacy on the network, Turkmenistan is one of the countries with the most difficult situation with censorship on the Internet. According to this indicator, the country is on a par with China, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

Despite the fact that in early 2021 the president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow officially called on the government to make the Internet more accessible, the Turkmen authorities continue to use various methods to restrict access to the network. Thus, officials have repeatedly limited the speed of the Internet and introduced blocking of social networks.^[23]

2017: VPN services do not allow to bypass state blocking anymore

Since February 1, 2017, in Turkmenistan, subscribers using mobile Internet access have found that VPN services no longer allow bypassing state blocking of certain resources on the Web, and access to social networks, some information sites and instant messengers is still closed^[24].

In Turkmenistan, in late January-early February, interruptions were noted, and Internet VPN services were turned off, allowing to bypass the blocking of individual information resources, social networks and instant messengers. First of all, mobile subscribers lost this opportunity. Internet

VPN services are popular in the country due to numerous bans by the authorities on access to various resources on the Web, they allow you to bypass state blocking of resources. According to the comments of the residents of Ashgabat, "the special services apparently updated the filters and blocked many programs that provide VPN access, so they stopped working. Most likely, the Internet outages were related to an attempt to block the VPN. " Users try to install new software, but are afraid to massively distribute it.

Subscribers who use stationary PCs to access the Internet and use VPNs did not have such a problem.

Uzbekistan

The head of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications and the ex-press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan Komil Allamzhonov said in August 2019 that the persons involved in the blocking of Facebook and YouTube in the country in 2018 received prison sentences. Problems with access to Facebook, YouTube and other social networks and instant messengers were observed in Uzbekistan in 2018 for six months, recalls the "Central Asian News Service. Then the Uzbek authorities explained this by "technical problems."

In an interview with blogger Kirill Altman, Allamzhonov said that the Information and Mass Communications Agency has contributed to solving the problem, and Facebook and YouTube blockers are "already in prison."

The reasons for the blockages, the head of the Information and Mass Media Agency called the desire to "fight the negative on the network," without naming those involved. "The point was that, in their opinion, suddenly there was a lot of negativity. And they decided that by shutting down Facebook and YouTube, negative information could be reduced. I said that counterarguments, counterfacts should be fought with negativity. It's a long but right path. There is no other. Nowadays, now, turning off the Internet, you will not achieve anything. Well, well, they turned off Facebook, and what happened in the end? Everyone began to use VPN, "Allamzhonov said.

Europe

EU countries

Main article: Internet regulation in EU countries

France

Islam has nothing to do with it - the French authorities accused of radicalizing people of the social network

If before it was believed that people adopt radical ideas in mosques, prisons and at special meetings, now the French authorities have paid attention to social networks that do not have a territorial link, France 24 writes on its website. So the French government invited the heads of the French units of different platforms to communicate in order to work out the tools of struggle together.

Four days after the brutal murder of history professor Samuel Paty, Citizenship Minister Marlene Schiappa convened everyone who heads the French divisions of social media and internet platforms. So they tried to develop funds to fight against "cyber Islamism," France 24 writes in October 2020 ^[25] with ^[26]].

The minister criticised social media for not being responsible for radicalising people. The fact is that a few days before the death of Party, messages and videos appeared on the Internet with a call to deal with him. And the killer posted a photo of the already dead professor on Twitter, she hung there for another two hours, which, by the standards of social networks, "for an eternity." However, the laws indicate that in such cases, social networks are obliged to take measures "very quickly," but this is too stretchy a concept, which is a problem.

It was discussed by Minister Schiappa with the heads of the French branches of Facebook, Twitter, Google, TikTok and Snapchat. According to the minister, young people today are becoming radical not in mosques, prison or at special meetings, but right at home, in their room in front of a phone or computer screen.

Experts also agree with this conclusion. So, one of them notes that the radicalization of youth proceeds on a systematic basis through social networks. And this happens quickly, this is not a long-term process, as previously assumed. Therefore, there is no territorial binding for Islamism, since the Internet is widespread everywhere. So terrorists need to be assessed not by their origin or place of residence, but on an individual basis.

And they are trying to compensate for their personal failures by accepting the views that society opposes. Islamism is included in this category. So experts conclude that terrorism in the name of Islam is actually nothing to do with religion itself. And the very concept of religious radicalization makes it difficult to find and detain criminals on time.

In France, since 2009, there has been a Pharos platform, where Internet users can report violations they have identified, which are then checked and, if necessary, become a reason for investigation. But the problem is that this tool does not make it possible to quickly remove illegal content. In addition, many initiatives in this area run into the principles of freedom of speech.

The head of the Paris region, Valerie Pecress, proposed creating a special police that would deal with social networks. And politicians from the Republican Party are calling for a partial removal of the principle of anonymity on the Internet: they say that an Internet user should disclose his identity to the provider. However, this principle also contradicts the principles of human rights adopted in France.

However, the French government also says that in addition to blocking illegal content, the authorities themselves must be present on the Internet and organize counter-judgment in order to respond in this way to hate speech.

Britain

Main article: Internet regulation in Britain

USA

2024: US and Britain sign deal to set up global firewall to censor internet

On October 14, 2024, the United States and Britain announced a joint effort to ensure "the safety of children on the Internet in the digital era." We are talking about the creation of a global firewall - a censorship system that blocks minors from accessing dangerous content.

The agreement was signed by British Minister of Technology Peter Kyle and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The initiative is said to reflect efforts to create a safer online environment - especially for younger generations. Within the framework of the project, a special government working group was formed. It will help increase the transparency of digital platforms and help researchers access data while maintaining privacy. These measures are critical to understanding and mitigating the impact of technologies such as generative AI on young people.

US, UK strike agreement to develop global firewall to control internet censorship

Among the dangers that can lie in wait for children on the Internet are sexual exploitation and violence, harassment, cyberbullying, offensive content, including gender-based violence carried out using technology, materials that encourage or promote suicide, self-harm, etc. The US and Britain point to the growing use of smartphones among teenagers and the risks involved, urging market participants to act more decisively to protect children. The agreement also highlights the importance of international cooperation in combating online threats.

As more children in the US and around the world access online learning platforms and social media, the associated risks are increasing. So we are taking the necessary action with our partners in Britain to protect children's privacy, safety and mental health, says Raimondo.[27]

Google's relationship with governments and intelligence agencies around the world

Main article: Google's relations with governments and special services of countries around the world

Review of Google's policy of transferring user data to intelligence agencies around the world.

2023: In the United States, a court forbade the government to require social networks to remove objectionable materials

On July 4, 2023, the Federal Court of Louisiana issued a preliminary ban restricting the right of US authorities to interfere with the work of social networks and demand the removal of objectionable materials.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty ruled in his decision that government agencies, including the US Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI, have no right to contact social media operators for the purpose of "forcing, pressuring or inducing in any way to remove, erase or modify content" that does not violate the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

According to Bloomberg, the decision was made in a case brought by the attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri. The plaintiffs say that the administration of President Joe Biden too often requires social networks to remove materials that, according to the authorities, may negatively affect the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the conduct of elections.

In its efforts to suppress alleged misinformation, the federal government likely flagrantly ignored the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which enshrines the right to free speech, Doughty wrote.

However, the ruling states that the government can still notify social platforms of publications detailing crimes, as well as materials containing threats to national security. The same applies to posts that may be related to attempts by foreign countries to influence elections.

The Justice Department will review the injunction and assess possible options for further action, a White House official said. In particular, the decision can be appealed by the Biden administration in the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.^[28]

2022: U.S. government tracks location of millions of smartphone users

In early August 2022, it became known that the US Department of Homeland Security used mobile device location data to track people's movements on a much larger scale than previously known. The relevant documents were discovered by the American Civil Liberties Union (ASGS).

The union has published numerous pages of previously unpublished reports on how Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Department of Homeland Security units circumvent the United States Constitution's Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable government searches and confiscations.

However, new documents obtained by the ASGS in the Freedom of Information Act trial reveal the extent of this unchecked data collection. More than 6,000 records studied by the civil rights organization contain about 336,000 location points throughout North America obtained from users' phones. They also show that in just three days in 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security obtained records containing about 113,654 location locations in the southwestern U.S. - more than 26 location locations per minute.

The bulk of the data the department obtained came from a contract with Venntel, a location data broker that aggregates and sells information quietly fished out of smartphone apps. By buying this data from brokers, officials bypass the legal process that government officials typically have to go through to access cell phone data.

The documents also detail attempts by government agencies to rationalize their actions. For example, in documents obtained by the ASGS, data on the location of cell phones are characterized as not containing personal identifying information, despite the fact that they allow officials to track specific people or everyone in a certain area. Similarly, the records also claim that this data is 100% voluntary and that mobile phone users voluntarily provide location information. But many don't realize that apps installed on their phones collect GPS information, let alone share that data with the U.S. government.

With this data, law enforcement agencies can identify devices seen in interesting places, as well as identify repeat visitors, frequently visited places, identify known accomplices and recognize lifestyles. The ASGS argues that these documents are further proof that the US Congress should pass bipartisan legislation called the Fourth Amendment is not for sale.^[29]

2021

"Let's go home": the Foreign Ministry commented on the restriction of access to Russian content by US IT companies

American IT companies imposing restrictions on "politically inconvenient" materials have "gone bad," and the very situation of haphazard censoring of content is a semantic and technological impasse. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova. Earlier, YouTube introduced age restrictions for watching Andrei Kondrashov's film "Crimea. The way to the homeland, "and Instagram was partially blocked by the TV channel" Crimea 24. " Such a policy of American platforms, according to the diplomat, serves the goal of Washington, which intends to use information and technological opportunities for unfair competition in all^[30].

The limitations of "politically inconvenient" materials by American IT companies represent a semantic and technological impasse. This was announced by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on her Facebook page.

Thus, she reacted to the introduction of an age limit on watching Andrei Kondrashov's film "Crimea. Way to your homeland "on YouTube, as well as to partially block the Crimea 24 TV channel on Instagram.

"American digital platforms decided to celebrate the next anniversary of the reunification of Crimea with Russia in their own way," Zakharova wrote, noting that in the case of Kondrashov's film on Google "in five years they finally figured out what to cling to" (the film was released in 2015. — RT).

"This is not even about the political overtones of the actions of American IT companies, which are in line with Washington's policies. The situation is more complicated. In principle, they do not have uniform standards for managing themselves. This is a semantic and technological dead end, "Zakharova emphasized.

She noted that against the background of calls from platforms to maintain freedom on the Internet, the content posted on them is arbitrarily censored without a court decision.

"The more materials inconvenient from a political point of view are removed by" moderators "from Internet circulation and censored, the faster and tougher regulatory restrictions on platform actions around the world will be introduced," the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman explained.

Internet monopolies are to blame for this trend, the actions of which do not comply with Washington's international obligations to ensure freedom of speech and violate the human right to freely search, receive and disseminate information, Zakharova added.

Washington's goal, she said, is to use information technology opportunities for unfair competition in all areas.

The social network Parler, blocked in the United States, resumed work on Russian hosting

Popular with supporters of Donald Trump, the site of the microblogging service Parler, which was hosted by Amazon, again launched on hosting owned by the Russian company DDoS-Guard.

The main functionality of the site is still unavailable: users are greeted by a statement by the administration of the social network that it "will solve any problem facing it" and will soon "greet everyone."

"It seems like the right moment has come to remind you all - both supporters and opponents - why we launched this platform. We believe in the paramount importance of privacy and the inalienability of free speech, especially in social media. We have always sought to provide access to an impartial public space where individuals can exercise and exercise these rights. We will solve any task before us and soon plan to greet you again. We will not let civil condemnation die! "- said in a message on the website, RIA Novosti reports.

According to The Guardian, until recently, the client of DDoS-Guard was the site 8kun, formerly known as 8chan, which, according to the publication, was one of the platforms used by radicals in the United States to organize an attack on the Congress building. In January 2021, DDoS-Guard ceased to cooperate with the hosting company 8kun, VanwaTech.

Recall that the "mass migration" of American conservatives, dissatisfied with the information policy of companies Facebook Twitter during the election campaign in the United States, to other social networks began in November and intensified after blocking Donald Trump's accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. The mobile app Parler, which is used by supporters of the US president, has been blocked from the app store. Google Play In addition, the American company Apple has removed the Parler microblogging service from the App Store. Amazon later announced that it was also ceasing to cooperate with Parler. Cloudy the company's service - - Amazon Web Services disconnected Parler from its own. hosting

US provider to block Facebook and Twitter for censorship against Trump

American ISP Your T1 WIFI will restrict access to Facebook and Twitter to some subscribers, as these social networks allow censorship of users. This was announced by the Krem TV channel^[31].

Your T1 WIFI is a relatively small provider providing broadband access to the Network to residents of the northern part of the US state of Idaho, as well as in the city of Spokane (state) Washington and its environs.

According to the source, the company notified customers about the upcoming blocking by email. "We have noticed that Twitter and Facebook are censoring information," said the letter, which was received by Krista Yep, who uses Your T1 WIFI.

The reason for blocking the websites of the largest American social networks, presumably, was the expulsion of US President Donald Trump (Donald Trump) from these sites due to statements that the Facebook and Twitter administration considered "incitement to violence" and "undermining the transfer of powers" to President-elect Joe Biden (Joe Biden).

The Internet provider announced that the changes related to restricting access to Twitter and Facebook will take effect on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. They, as noted by Krem, may contradict American law.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have blocked Trump's account

USA Donald Trump The incumbent president posted an appeal to the nation on social media in January 2021 and a statement that the assault on the Capitol was the result of his "theft" of an election victory.

Immediately after the publication, Twitter froze the US President's account for 12 hours and threatened to be permanently blocked if he did not delete messages that violated the rules of the resource.

"A spokesperson for the company confirmed that Trump deleted the tweets with irregularities. It is not known exactly what time Trump deleted the publications. Probably, access to the account will be open to him tomorrow morning (after 16.00 Moscow time on January 7), "Wagner said on his Twitter.

Facebook removed Trump's appeal, since it, according to the administration of the social network, contributes to an increase in violence rather than a decrease in it. The account of the current head states was blocked for 24 hours "for the safety of people." For the same term, Trump was banned from the. Instagram

In addition, Trump's appeal was removed from YouTube.

2020

Boycott of Facebook and Twitter

Almost a third of the world's largest brands are ready to boycott Facebook and Twitter due to the fact that social networks do not always block racist posts^[32].

Adidas, Coca-Cola, Ford, Honda America and Puma have already decided to suspend advertising for a month, the Financial Times writes in June.

According to the publication, HP and Starbucks also joined the boycott - but indefinitely. One of the largest advertisers in the world - Unilever - will not advertise on Facebook and Instagram until at least the end of the year.

Procter & Gamble didn't rule out joining the campaign either.

Earlier, Coca-Cola, The North Face, Unilever and Verizon announced the suspension of advertising. This happened after the call of human rights activists who accused social networks of lack of regulation of content with hate speech, racism and violence.

Facebook will mark state-sponsored media with special labeling

Facebook will now mark state-sponsored media with special labeling, Politico writes in June 2020. To be more precise, the "label of distrust" will be hung on Russia Today, Sputnik, the Chinese edition of Xinhua News and other "inconvenient" broadcasts. Government-funded Western publications, such as the BBC, are declared independent and will not be blacklisted.^[33]

Facebook, Zuckerberg and Trump: The main thing

In early June 2020, it became known that Facebook employees were declaring a virtual strike due to Zuckerberg's inaction. They oppose the "policy of non-interference" and demand the removal of Trump's post of readiness to use military force in response to the actions of protesters. This is what employees write on social networks.

"I work on Facebook and am not proud of how we show ourselves." "I am ashamed to work for Facebook as the company has failed to act and has not removed a Trump post calling for violence. I strongly disagree with that. In my work, I like the technical aspects and the smart/kind team, but doing so is wrong. Silence means complicity. "

According to a transcript of Mark Zuckerberg's conversation with employees at the disposal of The Verge^[34]

1. Facebook could adopt temporary restrictions on statesman posts in the US if civil unrest escalates. The company removed misinformation about COVID-19 because it represents a public health emergency, and police abuse of authority can also be seen as an emergency that requires a review of moderation rules;

Main article: Facebook

Trump signed a decree regulating the work of social networks

American President Donald Trump signed a decree in May 2020 to regulate the work of social networks. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the White House.

It is assumed that the new law, which Trump has already promised to adopt, will regulate the work of social networks in the country.

The dispute between the president and social media came after Twitter on May 26 identified some of Trump's posts as containing untruths, namely unsubstantiated remarks about voting by email. In these messages, the US leader allegedly "falsely claims that mail ballots lead to vote fraud and the receipt of ballots by non-voting voters." The Twitter administration posted a warning badge under these posts. It means readers are better off checking the content of the message themselves. In response to this, the head of the White House pointed out that social networks do not make the voices of conservatives sound, and promised to "strictly regulate or close them."

See also: Fake (fake) news (fake news)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security buys location data for millions of cellphones

In February 2020, it became known that the US Department of Homeland Security and controlled agencies are using a huge repository of data on the location of millions of mobile phones for immigration control. Read more here.

2019

U.S. cybersecurity agency seeks right to obtain subscriber data from ISPs

On October 10, 2019, it became known division cyber security U.S. Department of Homeland Security that it requires amendments to the current legislation that would give it the right to request from Internet-, providers information which allows identifying users of vulnerable systems. More. here

Five Eyes requires access to encrypted messenger messages

The countries participating in the Five Eyes association, which includes, Australia,, and Canada New Zealand, Great Britain USA require the introduction of a backdoor enciphering in applications such as,, and WhatsApp Facebook other Instagram instant messengers.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel accused Facebook of aiding child molesters, drug dealers and terrorists, the Telegraph reported. According to Patel, end-to-end encryption helps attackers communicate with each other, while law enforcement agencies cannot access key information to investigate crimes^[35].

According to representatives of the Five Eyes member countries, technology companies should include in the operation of their encrypted products and services mechanisms by which the government, acting with appropriate legal powers, can access data in a readable and usable format.

According to Facebook, the backdoor not only circumvents encryption, but it also creates a vulnerability. End-to-end encryption means that only the sender and recipient can read encrypted messages. This excludes everyone else, including the company itself. The UK Government Communications Centre (GCHQ) has proposed the Ghost Protocol as a solution.

US authorities want to introduce pre-election censorship on the Internet

On June 19, 2019, it became known that USA amendments to the legislation were proposed that would force, and Facebook Twitter YouTube other large platforms to be responsible for the content of user publications. To avoid this, companies will have to undergo a third-party audit of filtering methods for content political bias. Human rights activists are afraid that in this way the authorities will be able to censor the statements of users in. Internet

As reported, American legislation may be amended to make large Internet sites responsible for the content of content posted by users. The corresponding amendments were proposed by Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley, and his bill has already been registered in Congress.

As of June 2019, major internet platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are not responsible for what content users post on them. This immunity is guaranteed by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which was adopted in 1996.

The idea to limit this immunity has received in recent years in support of both Republicans and Democrats, as Internet companies are fighting to preserve dangerous content on their platforms, ranging from propaganda of terrorism to materials indicating foreign interference in the US election process, writes CNBC.

If the proposed amendments come into force, then Internet sites will have to create content filtering systems through which all materials published by users will pass. algorithms The moderators involved for June 2019 will not be enough. As a result, large Internet companies that depend on content generated by users (and this is primarily all large ones) social networks will have to fundamentally change their business models.

Hawley's bill, called the Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act, implies that small and medium-sized Internet companies will remain immune. Responsibility for user content will be assigned only to platforms with a monthly audience of more than 30 million active users in the United States and 300 million in the world. Or the company's global revenue should be more than $500 million per year.

However, even large companies can regain immunity on a case-by-case basis. To do so, they will have to conduct third-party audits of their algorithms and content filtering methods - to prove to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that these algorithms and methods are "politically neutral." If, after such an audit, the FTC votes to return the company's immunity by a qualified majority, then responsibility for user content will be removed from the site. It will be necessary to renew immunity under this scheme every two years.

For June 2019, the non-profit human rights organization Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) protests against the cancellation of Section 230, as it protects not only technology companies, but also the media, relieving them of responsibility for what users say in the comments to materials on their sites.

Americans for Prosperity also opposes Hawley's initiative. According to the group members, the abolition of Section 230 will create a scenario in which the government will have the opportunity to censor the statements of citizens and determine what can and cannot be said online.

In 2015, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge, Alexander Kogan, created an application on the Facebook social network that allowed Cambridge Analytica to obtain and then use the data of about 87 million Facebook users for political purposes. The social network asked the company to delete the data, but this did not happen. When the data collection became known, Facebook had to take a number of measures to protect the privacy of users amid the outbreak of the scandal.

In particular, Mark Zuckerberg had to testify on the topic of protecting Facebook user data in the US Parliament. In addition, Facebook suspended the work of about 200 applications that had access to a large amount of information about users until 2014, when the social network significantly limited the set of data available to third-party projects. Also, the social network canceled more than 20 agreements with smartphone manufacturers on the transfer of user data to them, although most of such agreements still remain in force.^[36]

NSA closes the American version of the "Spring package"

The US National Security Agency (NSA) is preparing to curtail the program of surveillance of telephone conversations and SMS of US citizens, Content-Review writes in April 2019 with reference to the Wall Street Journal. The decision is explained by the fact that the current legislative norms do not allow the NSA to effectively use this instrument at high financial costs. It is noted that for the entire duration of the program did not help to detect or prevent any impending terrorist attack.

Surveillance with US citizens, as the publication recalls, has been conducted since 2006. Edward Snowden later reported this fact, and under pressure from the public, the Freedom Act was adopted in the country, making tracking ineffective: the NSA is now required to obtain a court warrant each time to continue monitoring a specific person.

In addition, in connection with the development of technologies, wiretapping and recording telephone conversations and interception of SMS have actually become meaningless: potential terrorists are more likely to use applications with bilateral encryption than traditional communication methods.

The Wall Street Journal, citing a former NSA official, writes that the agency is now focused on tracking strategic initiatives and Russia. At the China same time, the department hopes to restart the program, taking into account modern technical realities.

2018

US and UK security officials demanded that IT companies give them backdoors to spy on users

The Departments of Homeland Security, Public Safety and Immigration Affairs of Australia, Great Britain Canada, New Zealand, USA and issued a memorandum urging IT companies to provide backdoors to gain access to encrypted data of their users. If the companies do not agree, the authors of the memorandum intend to take measures to force them to cooperate^[37]

The memorandum was signed at the 2018 Five Country Ministerial meeting, which took place on August 28-29 in the Australian Gold Coast. It is noteworthy that together these five countries form the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance (FVEY), created in 1941. In 2013, Edward Snowden published materials from which it follows that the authorities of the FVEY states spy on citizens of other participating countries and exchange the information obtained as a result. Thus, they manage to bypass national restrictions on the surveillance of each government for its own citizens.

The essence of the document

The memorandum of the five ministries requires providers of various services "to create customized solutions tailored to the individual architecture of their systems that can ensure compliance with the requirements for legitimate access" to user data. Providers mean telecom operators, device manufacturers and owners of OTT services, the document says.

In other words, companies should create backdoors that will allow governments to access encrypted calls and messages from citizens. The document separately stipulates that governments will not impose any specific technology in the development of backdoors, but will give companies "freedom of choice" in this matter.

Many technological services, primarily messengers such as Telegram and WhatsApp, use end-to-end encryption, thanks to which even the company itself does not have access to user data. The memorandum stipulates that encryption itself is a useful technology, as it helps to protect, among other things, government data, but the improvement of cryptography methods increasingly interferes with the investigation of serious crimes, since these same technologies are used by offenders, including terrorists.

The memorandum focuses on the fact that access to data by the authorities will be carried out only in cases provided for by law - for example, during the investigation of crimes.

Companies are invited to embed backdoors in their products voluntarily. But if law enforcement officers of five countries "continue to meet obstacles" in the way of gaining access to data, then the ministries intend to initiate appropriate changes to the laws in order to oblige companies to obey. In addition to legislative ones, five governments may also consider technological and enforcement measures to ensure the creation of backdoors, the memorandum says.

Microsoft ordered to issue US authorities user correspondence from servers around the world

Microsoft is now obliged to provide the American authorities with user data stored on its servers around the world. This is the result of the company's trial with the US government, which ended in the Supreme Court. The reason for the lawsuit was that the government wanted to gain access to the user's correspondence stored on the company's servers in Ireland^[38].

In early 2018, American legislation governing such issues was changed through the adoption of the so-called CLOUD Act, and Microsoft's reluctance to provide data began to be considered an unfounded claim. Prior to that, it was believed that it was the outcome of the Microsoft case, whatever it was, that should become the precedent according to which such cases would be resolved in the future.

The US Department of Justice has already taken steps to invalidate Microsoft's lawsuit as unfounded. Formally, this decision must still be confirmed by the Supreme Court, but there is no doubt that it will do so.

"Cloud" law

In March 2018, the House of Representatives - the lower house of Congress, the US Parliament - approved the so-called CLOUD Act. The full name of the law sounds like the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, that is, "an act clarifying the legal use of data abroad." CLOUD Act legally allows US law enforcement agencies, in the presence of a court order, to receive from American IT companies the data of US citizens stored by them, wherever this data is located geographically, including abroad.

From a legal point of view, CLOUD Act is a set of amendments to the Stored Communications Act (SCA), adopted in 1986. Before the advent of CLOUD Act, the law allowed law enforcement agencies to require from companies only those data that are physically located in the United States.

Changes in the legislation of the authorities are motivated by the fact that cloud technologies are becoming more widespread, and users are beginning to increasingly practice data storage on remote servers. The immediate reason for the development of new legislation was precisely Microsoft's lawsuit with the government.

The relevant media note that CLOUD Act itself is quite contradictory - it allows companies to demand data stored abroad, but at the same time allows them to challenge this requirement in court if it somehow violates the human rights laws of the country where the information is physically located. In addition, the law allows the US executive branch to negotiate bilaterally with foreign countries to provide the required data.

The law was supported by large companies, including Microsoft Apple. Google However, he is criticized by several human rights groups at once, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation American , the civil liberties union and Human Rights Watch. In their opinion, the right of law enforcement agencies to negotiate directly with foreign powers, bypassing the American judicial system, is a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

2017

US Congress supports extension of secret surveillance law

The House of Representatives USA voted to extend for 6 years the term of paragraph 702 of the VII amendment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows intelligence agencies to monitor persons who are not US citizens or who are outside the country if they have information of interest to foreign intelligence. This is reported by the news agency TASS Information Agency of Russia"."^[39]

256 congressmen voted to extend the amendment. 164 members of the chamber opposed. Next, the bill will go to the US Senate, and if the upper house also votes to extend, the draft law will be sent for signature to the president.

The VII Amendment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows intelligence services to collect important information about international terrorists, cybercriminals, individuals and structures located outside the United States engaged in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other important purposes. According to paragraph 702 of FISA, intelligence agencies have the right to authorize surveillance of persons who are not US citizens or who are outside the country if they own information of interest to foreign intelligence. US citizens can also come under surveillance if they have been in contact with individuals in the scope of intelligence.

When working on the bill, a number of amendments were introduced, introducing restrictions on the disclosure of the names of US citizens who came under surveillance. In addition, if the subject of surveillance committed any offenses while under surveillance, this data can only be used if a murder or abduction was committed.

What will ISPs be able to do with the abolition of "net neutrality"?

The US Federal Communications Commission abolished the principle of "net neutrality" in December 2017. It forced Internet providers to provide the same quality of access to different sites and services, forbade blocking certain types of traffic at their discretion. With the abolition of this principle, Internet providers will have much more opportunities to create new tariff plans and compete for the consumer. On the other hand, this could lead to restrictions on access to individual resources^[40].

The commission called its decision an action aimed at "restoring freedom on the Internet." Three people voted for the abolition of the principle, two against.

The FCC enshrined the principle of "net neutrality" in February 2015. This innovation was advocated, in particular, by the then US President Barack Obama.

The current head of the commission, Ajit Pai, appointed after the start of the Donald Trump administration, has spoken since the beginning of 2017 about plans to abolish this "repressive" norm, calling the problem far-fetched; the previous state of affairs, in his opinion, on the contrary, contributed to the rapid development of the Internet industry in the United States.

The right to monitor citizens without a warrant until April 2018

According to the decision of the presidential administration, and USA Donald Trump NSA FBI has a legal right to implement their tracking programs without a court warrant, even if Congress does not have time to extend the term of the relevant laws expiring on New Year's Eve in time. This was announced on December 6, 2017, the publication reported New York Times , citing informed sources in the circle of officials of^[41]

For a year and a half, the NSA has asked Congress to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Covert Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendment Act, which expires by the end of this year. The special service considers the extension of the law to be a priority to ensure the security of the country. However, Congress, busy with tax cuts and what amendments need to be made (and whether at all) to surveillance programs, may not be in time for the deadline.

Given the risks that delay in deadlines may entail, executive officials concluded that the government could allow intelligence agencies to implement tracking programs without a warrant until April 2018, even if the relevant acts are not extended.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)

A US federal law describing the procedures for physical and electronic surveillance and collection of external intelligence information transmitted by foreign states and agents of foreign states. Agents can be both foreign and American citizens and holders of permanent residence permits suspected of espionage and terrorism. The law should be applied exclusively in the United States. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, it was repeatedly amended.

The VII Amendment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows intelligence services to collect important information about international terrorists, cybercriminals, individuals and structures located outside the United States engaged in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other important purposes. Under FISA paragraph 702, the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence may authorize surveillance of persons who are not U.S. citizens or who are outside the country if they possess information of foreign intelligence interest

Indefinite tacit surveillance law

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats proposed in September 2017 to indefinitely extend the law allowing covertly electronic surveillance of citizens. The relevant amendments to the law expire at the end of 2017. This measure is designed to protect US citizens from the threat of world terrorism and counteract foreign intelligence services. The corresponding letter was published^[42] on the website of the US Department of Justice.^[43]

2016

US authorities ask to indicate data on social media when entering the country

Since December 20, the US Customs and Border Protection Service began offering visitors to indicate data on social media accounts.

Foreign nationals arriving in the United States as part of the visa-free program must now provide details of their accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks when entering the country. On December 20, 2016, the US Customs and Border Protection Service began offering visiting tourists "to indicate information related to the presence on the Internet" when filling out the electronic travel authorization system (ESTA) form, Politico reports. ^[44].

The electronic form includes a column with a drop-down menu containing a list of platforms, including Facebook, Google +, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, as well as fields for specifying logins on these sites. Filling out the field about social networks will not be mandatory when issuing an ESTA. According to the customs service, travelers who refused to provide this information will not be denied entry into the country.

This policy is caused by Washington's desire to ensure greater security by identifying and preventing persons associated with terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (banned in Russia) from entering the country.

In June 2016, the US Department of Homeland Security made a proposal to add an additional optional column with information about social networks to the migration card. According to the department, this step would reduce the level of terrorist threat. However, this idea did not meet with support from members of the Internet Association, including Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. The bill was also criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union. As pointed out in the human rights organization, the new rules pose a threat to self-expression, as well as the confidentiality and safety of foreign citizens.

The United States wants to ban PCs without porn filters. Unblocking for money

A bill has been introduced in the South Carolina state legislature that provides for the mandatory installation of "digital means of blocking" pornography on all new computers and mobile devices. The bill indicates that buyers may refuse to install this filter. But to do this, they will have to submit an application in writing, and pay a fee of $20^[45].

In addition, refuseniks will have to prove that they have reached the age of 18 and sign for a memo listing the threats that are fraught with abandoning a porn filter.

The prospects for real passage of such a bill look rather vague, since it obviously contradicts the First Amendment to the US Constitution - the law on freedom of speech. The effectiveness of the proposed measures also seems very dubious, given that for now the law will have to operate only in one state.

US legalized FBI's right to hack PCs around the world

On December 1, 2016, changes in US law came into force that would significantly expand the powers of the FBI and other intelligence agencies to conduct cyber operations during^[46] investigation^[47].

From now on, any US district judge can issue an FBI warrant to hack computers anywhere in the world. Previously, the validity of the warrant was limited to the county where it was issued. The corresponding amendments to Article 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure were approved by the US Supreme Court in April 2016. Today they entered into force, despite fierce opposition from parliamentarians.

See the FBI (FBI) for more details.

The world's largest Internet archive flees the United States because of Trump

An American non-profit organizationInternet Archive is going to create a copy of its archive To Canada in due to the victory (Donald Trump Donald Trump) in the presidential election. USA The owner of the resource Brewster Kahle noted in his blog that the creation of a backup archive will cost "millions" and asked the public to financially support the project^[48] Internet Archive

FBI staged a massive hack of Tor users

The FBI illegally hacked into the mailboxes of users of the TorMail service, investigating the case of child pornography in 2013. The obtained court warrant allowed only a certain number of certain accounts to be hacked, but the bureau did not stop there. This is the conclusion reached by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is investigating the^[49] incident^[50].

Which accounts were hacked

The accounts of users of 23 different resources who used hosting Freedom Hosting were massively hacked. Some of the resources were engaged in the distribution of child pornography, others, including the mail service with increased privacy protection TorMail, were simply their neighbors in. to hosting

During the investigation, the FBI obtained a warrant to hack 300 suspicious accounts, assuring the court that it would do so with utmost accuracy, and no other accounts would be affected. However, the ACLU now has evidence that the bureau violated the terms of the warrant. The warrant itself was requested by the union from the Justice Department in September and obtained in redacted form last month.

Illegitimate Use of Software

To hack, the FBI used a special malware that tracks the real IP addresses of users. According to court documents obtained by the ACLU, this program was used only against users who were authorized with a login and password. However, as TorMail users told Motherboard, the software began to operate even before authorization. It was quickly tracked and defused by the darknet security community.

Snowden No. 2 arrested for theft of cyber weapons in the United States

The authorities USA revealed in October 2016 the details of the arrest of Harold Thomas Martin, who collaborated on a contract with the National Security Agency at Booz Allen Hamilton. Edward Snowden worked in the same company, exposing NSA surveillance of netizens in 2013.

Harold Martin, 51, was taken into custody in August 2016 in Maryland, Reuters reported. In an official statement, Booz Allen Hamilton said that as soon as the company learned "about the arrest of one of the employees by FBI agents," the employee was immediately fired, and the company's management showed readiness to cooperate with^[51] special services^[52]

Source code

What exactly the NSA contractor was accused of is still unclear. Journalists note that in the month when Martin was arrested, a scandalous incident occurred. As a result of the leak, some complex programs that the NSA used in its work were posted on the websites of the hacker group Shadow Brokers.

Martin was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for stealing classified government material. Reuters also recalls earlier information in the New York Times that the FBI was investigating, suspecting Martin that he could steal and disclose some "source code" that allows hacking into the networks of Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and other countries. Journalists note that during a search of an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, "six documents critical of a wide range of national security issues" were found.

Yahoo scans all correspondence of its users and transfers data to the FBI and NSA

Former US intelligence officer and cyber security expert Edward Snowden, in his Twitter account, urged netizens to close their Yahoo accounts Yahoo^[53]

The reason for this was the material published the day before in the American media, where Yahoo is accused of creating a program for scanning users' mail.

"Using Yahoo? They secretly scanned everything you wrote, while going beyond the law. Close your account today, "Snowden wrote. Twitter users shared his outrage. In particular, lawyer and member of Congress Justin A. Amash (Justin A. Amash) called what is happening "unconstitutional."

Information damning the US internet service was released by Reuters news agency. According to the publication, a year ago, Yahoo, on the instructions of the US special services, created a special program that allows you to scan users' mail.

"The company complied with the secret requirement of the US authorities to scan hundreds of millions of Yahoo mail accounts on the instructions of the National Security Agency and the FBI. This was told by three former employees of Yahoo and another person directly involved in the process, "reports Reuters.

Microsoft, Apple and Mozilla go to war on the US government

Apple,, Fox Mozilla News and dozens of other companies backed a lawsuit Microsoft against the Justice Department that aims to USA abolish a legal mechanism by which the government can bar a company from telling a client that its data is being used in a federal investigation. In the lawsuit, Microsoft argues that such bans are contrary to the US Constitution. Microsoft has supported more than 80 companies, public organizations and representatives of the legal community. Other companies that signed Microsoft's lawsuit include Alaska Airlines, energy company BP America, photo agency Getty Images and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. Of the organizations, the most significant are American the Civil Liberties Union and the United States Chamber of Commerce. The lawsuit was also joined by major news channel Fox News, radio network NPR and Associated Press, Seattle Times and Washington Post publication^[54]

The FBI or other US intelligence agency may prohibit the company from telling customers that their data was required by the investigation, but officially this ban only applies to cases related to state security (for example, an investigation into a terrorist act). However, in fact, federal services order companies to remain silent in most other cases, as suspects, upon learning of the investigation, can delete or change their data, as well as take any other actions that will make the investigation difficult.

Microsoft and Apple customers don't know US government was looking at their data

Microsoft filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice in April 2016. The company says that over the past 18 months it has been forced to keep customers in the dark about viewing their data by the government in 2576 cases. In most cases, the ban was not limited in time. Microsoft believes that this undermines key principles for the provision of information services and contradicts the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Apple noted that in 2016 alone, it received 590 non-disclosure orders from the US government to the client, and the duration of these orders was unlimited. The company says that during its existence, federal services forced management to provide data to 6,432 users, and in 51% of cases banned them from reporting it. In about half of the cases, the order had no time limit. Apple claims that the government gives such an order in almost every case, regardless of its attitude to state security. Because these orders do not have a statute of limitations, a client may never know that their data appeared in a federal investigation.

Speech by FBI Director James Comey

In a public speech, US FBI Director James Comey called for a ban on strong cryptography (encryption) that does not have built-in means of accessing information for law enforcement agencies. And then, in the Q&A section, suddenly suddenly admitted that he had sealed the camera lens with duct tape on his own laptop. So that no one without the owner's knowledge, in principle, could spy on him via the Internet^[55]

Another example is a speech by one of the technical leaders of the US Department of Justice, Director of the Cybercrime Laboratory O. Carroll. In his review report to a gathering of more than a hundred US federal judges, this specialist strongly recommended that justice officials "use the TOR system to securely work with the Internet and protect information in their computers, and use it on all computers, be they work or home."

Here it should be recalled that usually law enforcement agencies present the TOR anonymization system as a favorite tool for noticing traces among drug dealers, terrorists and pedophiles. Accordingly, they strongly object to the installation of TOR nodes on computers of public libraries, state educational institutions and other similar institutions. Why it is clear that many judges were somewhat surprised by such a call.

Court allows Microsoft to deny US authorities access to mail of its customers

According to the verdict of the New York State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the company is not required to provide access to the contents of electronic mailboxes stored on a server in Ireland. According to Reuters, the court upheld the Micro soft 's complaint, finding the verdict issued in 2014 unlawful. Then the American corporation was obliged to fulfill official requests for the provision of personal data of customers, otherwise the authorities had the right to apply the punishment^[56].

However, the law of 1986, which was referred to by the original verdict of the court, applies only to information stored in the United States. Thus, the appeals judge ruled that the federal authorities are not entitled to require the disclosure of personal information posted outside the United States.

It is reported that in the last year and a half, the US authorities sent 5624 requests to Microsoft for access to email content. At the same time, in 2576 cases, the companies were forbidden to notify about the received instructions of the customers themselves.

2001: FBI qualifies for any user data

In 2001, the United States adopted the Anti-Terrorism Act, according to which a new document was introduced into the use of federal services - a letter-requirement for the disclosure of personal confidential information for national security purposes. The difference between a letter and a court warrant is that the letter can be written by FBI or another service on its own, without the participation of a judge. By presenting such a letter to the company, the FBI can access any user data and prohibit management from informing him about it.

Asia

China

• Censorship (control) on the Internet. Experience China

South Korea

Main article: Internet access (South Korea market)

In mid-May 2020, it became known that in South Korea, teenagers under 18 were banned from downloading anonymous instant messengers that do not identify the user and do not save their chat history. The reason was a series of high-profile sexual crimes.

Singapore

• Main article Singapore

At the end of November 2019, a law on punishment for lying on the Internet came into force in Singapore. Now spreading false information online can lead to up to 10 years in prison. Critics of the law believe that such restrictions can finally suppress freedom of speech in an already tightly controlled city-state.

India

Main article: India

2023: Indian authorities began to mark fakes about government agencies on the Internet

In mid-March 2023, it became known that the Indian government had given the state Press and Information Bureau (PIB) powers that would allow the organization to mark unreliable and fake news about authorities and other government agencies on the Internet.

Under the new rules, the PIB will not be able to remove fake material. At the same time, social networks and other resources that ignore notifications about the unreliability of publications and leave them in the public domain can be held accountable. In particular, according to The Economic Times, the affected party may sue such an online platform, which in this case will be considered as a publisher.

Any intermediary who fails to comply with one or more content publishing obligations under established rules is deprived of immunity. Therefore, disputes about disinformation will be resolved in court directly between the Internet platform and the victims, "said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology of India.

It is emphasized that the PIB will check the facts contained exclusively in those publications that somehow affect government agencies. A self-regulatory organisation will be set up to monitor the credibility of non-government news.

However, third-party experts express concern about the appointment of PIB as a structure that controls the reliability of materials on the Internet. According to experts, the new rules may lead to the fact that hundreds of resources, including social networks, will have to delete materials only for the reason that they do not correspond to the point of view of the state Bureau of Press and Information.^[57]

2021

Twitter loses immunity in India

Social network Twitter was left in India without protection from liability for posts posted by users due to non-compliance with the country's new BN rules. Now the authorities can hold the leadership of the social network accountable for information published by Indian Twitter users^[58].

In May 2021, new rules for regulating content on social networks came into force in India, according to which platform owners must remove content that undermines national security, public order and "decency or morality" within 36 hours after receiving a request from the authorities.

According to the government, Twitter lost its immunity after refusing to comply with the new rules, thereby violating the requirements of the law.

Twitter declined to comment on the situation. Earlier, the company said that the company is making every effort to comply with the law.

India threatens arrests of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees

The Indian government has threatened Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees with jail in an attempt to quell political protests and expand its power to disclose data of users of foreign technology platforms^[59] to ^[60].

According to The Wall Street Journal, the threats of the Indian government are a direct response to the reluctance of technology companies to comply with the authorities' demands to delete data related to protests by Indian farmers and made international headlines. At least a few written warnings sent to companies mention specific workers from India who face arrest if the companies fail to comply with authorities.

A WhatsApp spokesman said the company was complying with the requests if they "meet internationally recognised standards, including human rights, due process and the rule of law." The company is "responding to government requests for data under current law and terms of service," Facebook said.

According to a Twitter spokesman, the platform "will continue to uphold the fundamental principles of the open Internet." In addition, "threats to these principles are growing around the world, which is a serious concern," he added.

India sets new rules giving the government power over online discourse to an extent unparalleled in other open societies. Under the rules, tech companies must appoint India-based responsible workers to handle government requests, including a contact person to "coordinate around the clock with law enforcement and officers to enforce" orders.

The rules also require companies to remove content that undermines national security, public order and "decency or morality." Some companies, such as WhatsApp, must also help identify the sender of messages, track and store certain messages as they are transmitted.

According to experts, these rules do not provide for any clear legal way to appeal requests to delete content or provide user data. Under India's legal system, such requests do not require prior approval by the court.

Indian authorities block TikTok and 58 more Chinese apps

The ministry information technology India issued a decree blocking 59 Chinese mobile applications. This is reported by^[61] of the state Press Information Bureau (PIB^[62]

The list of programs to be blocked was headed by the TikTok video service. In addition to it, in India it will not be possible to use the mobile application of the Chinese social network WeChat, the UC browser, the Weibo microblogging service and other applications. Clash of Kings will also be blocked.

The ministry believes that the work of these applications causes "damage to the sovereignty and integrity of India" and also threatens the security of the state and public order.

The Indian Interior Ministry's cybercrime focal point received many appeals from citizens reporting they were worried about some apps' data security and privacy policies, the statement said. The Indian government also believes the lockdown will benefit Indian mobile apps and netizens in the country.

2020

Plan to launch a base to track 1.2 billion people living in the country

On March 19, 2020, it became known that Government of India back in 2009 he created a huge one, database containing information biometric data his citizens in the form of a unique personal number - AADHAAR. Now the authorities plan to launch an updated database by 2021, which will constantly track the lives of 1.2 billion people living in the country.

According to HuffPost journalist Kumar Sambhav Srivastava, the government plans to monitor important changes in the lives of citizens, including movement between cities, job changes, purchases real estate and changes in their families. The issues of geographical marking of each residence and its inclusion in the geospatial database created by the The Indian space research organization were also discussed.

According to experts, the search database will use AADHAAR numbers and update in real time. The World Bank is also involved in the project and provided an initial grant of $2 million.

In 2018, India's top court ruled that while AADHAAR's personal numbers did not violate the privacy of citizens, their use should not be made available to private individuals. The Supreme Court also asked the government to limit the mandatory use of AADHAAR to social schemes. Now, a special committee dedicated to creating the database is proposing amendments to the AADHAAR bill that could render these privacy guarantees worthless.

AADHAAR is a unique 12-digit personal number assigned to each resident of India under identifications the UIDAI Citizens and Residents System. Identification is based on personal data, iris images and fingerprints. In particular, AADHAAR is used for authentications and authorisation of remittances^[63]

To prison for a VPN

India The authorities began to fight against the use VPN of services by residents of the country. Against those who connect to blocked sites through the appropriate applications and browser extensions, criminal cases are being filed against^[64]

According to Al Jazeera, the fight against VPN has unfolded in Indian Kashmir - the authorities are forcing the police to identify cases of using means to bypass blocks. An Indian citizen caught with a VPN on his mobile device or PC risks being jailed for several months without the right to bail.

The forced use of VPN by residents of the northern regions of India is directly related to the geopolitical situation in the country. In August 2019, New Delhi authorities announced their decision to abolish the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It was divided into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. In total, about 7 million people live in both territories.

Immediately after, access to more than 300 sites, including social networks, as well as Indian online store Flipkart, was blocked on the territory of the former state by order of the Kashmir authorities. Only in January 2020, access to some of them was opened - according to the TechCrunch resource, 126 resources fell under the "amnesty." Social networks and instant messengers were not included in their number.

The Kashmir authorities, arguing their actions, invoked the Indian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), India's main anti-terrorism law. According to them, it allows people to be deprived of their freedom for using VPNs, anonymizers and other means of bypassing locks. The real term that such "criminals" can receive at the time of publication of the material was not known, but the text of the law allows imprisonment of up to seven years.

2019: Access to WhatsApp correspondence

In early 2019, the company Facebook again came under pressure from Indian authorities to provide them with access to user correspondence in (messenger WhatsApp owned by Facebook since October 2014).

As the representative of the Ministry electronic engineers information technology India and Gopalakrishnan S explained, services like WhatsApp are used by criminals to carry out illegal activities, including the distribution of child pornography, and the only way to stop them is to provide law enforcement agencies with access to messages. 'We're not interested in good morning wishes and divorce messages. We only need the ability to track and detect or prevent crimes, "Gopalakrishnan S. told Forbes

.

WhatsApp messages are encrypted by default and a third party cannot access their contents. Facebook has already refused to provide third parties with the ability to access user messages. As WhatsApp spokesman Carl Woog emphasized, this would violate the concept that the service administration primarily adheres to.

"The new rules require the impossible, as we use end-to-end encryption. We would have to completely redesign the WhatsApp architecture, and this would be a completely different product that does not provide complete confidentiality, "said a service representative

.

2018: Intercept and decrypt data on any computer

At the end of 2018, the Indian government authorized ten central intelligence services to monitor, intercept and decrypt data on any computer, which shocked both human rights defenders and ordinary citizens. On December 20, the Indian government led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi supplemented section 69 of the state's Information Technology Act of 2000. In particular, a new requirement was added, obliging providers and any persons "responsible for computers" to provide the special services with the necessary equipment and provide technical assistance. For failure to comply with the requirement, punishment is provided in the form of imprisonment for up to seven years or a fine (the amount is not specified)^[65] of^[66] the^[67].

According to the explanatory note to the document published on December 21 by the Ministry of the Interior, each case of interception, monitoring and decryption of data must be approved by an authorized person, namely the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Amendments to the Information Technology Act expand the powers of the following intelligence agencies: Intelligence Bureau, Drug Control Bureau, Tax Intelligence Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Signal Intelligence Directorate, Delhi Police Directorate, Research and Analysis Directorate, Central Tax Board and Law Enforcement Directorate. The amendments were made in the interest of national security, India's Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. As the minister explained, some types of "interception" have been carried out in the country for several years, and amendments to the legislation will help structure this process.

Vietnam

2023: Vietnam banned from registering on social networks without passport details

On May 10, 2023, it became known that mandatory identification of social network users is being introduced in Vietnam. The new rules are designed to reduce the level of Internet fraud and stop the use of anonymous accounts for criminal purposes.

According to the BBC, the initiative was announced by the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications of Vietnam Nguyen Thanh Lam. According to him, in accordance with the approved norms, all users of any social networks, including foreign ones, will be required to confirm their identity - in particular, Facebook (banned in Russia), which belongs to Meta Corporation (recognized as an extremist organization; activities on the territory of the Russian Federation are prohibited).

Identification of users of social resources will be carried out, for example, on the basis of passport data. The authorities intend to track and block anonymous accounts belonging to individuals or organizations. The mechanism for applying the new requirements is not fully defined, but it is noted that the rules will come into force within 2023: the corresponding changes will be made to the Telecommunications Act.

The proposed measures will complement previously approved restrictions on users and operators of social networks in Vietnam. In 2022, laws were adopted requiring technology companies such as Google and Meta (the company is recognized as an extremist in Russia, its activities are prohibited) to store user data locally on servers located in the country. In addition, the owners of social networks were obliged to remove materials recognized as fake within 24 hours, and not within 48 hours, as previously prescribed. According to some Internet market participants and experts, such measures may violate citizens' rights to privacy and freedom of expression.^[68]

2013

There are no problems with the obedience of providers in Vietnam: all 16 operators are somehow controlled by the Communist Party and the government and block a wide variety of foreign sites and blogs. In September 2013, the country's authorities adopted "Decree 72," which effectively prohibits social media users from publishing links to news articles. In order to prevent the publication of materials "endangering national security" or "opposing the government," bloggers were obliged to publish exclusively personal information. All foreign companies were obliged by the same law to have at least one server on the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which would allow the authorities to spy on users. In this, state hackers are very successful. They resort, in particular, to MITM attacks (hacking secure SSL and TLS protocols during HTTPS connection)

DPRK

Main article: Article:North Korea (DPRK)# Censorship and Control

Myanmar

Until August 2012, all materials published on the Internet regarding religion or politics had to undergo preliminary state censorship. Foreign news sites, opposition or at least something critical portals were blocked. Freedom House called Myanmar the most repressive state against the Internet after Iran, despite the fact that only 2% of the population used the network in the country. Loosening control over the Internet was an important part of President Thein Sein's democratic reform agenda, which was headed for a rapid rapprochement between the country and the West. By October of that year, only five political content sites out of 541 previously banned remained blocked.

Middle East

Syria

In Syria, on November 29, 2012, 77 computer networks ceased to work, or 92% of all networks in the country. All these networks were connected to the Internet through the equipment of the Syrian telecommunications department, and experts decided that the country's authorities decided to disconnect it from the Internet. "This is a more complete shutdown than what we have seen in other countries cut off from the Internet (for example, in Egypt, where most of the traffic was blocked, but some requests did pass)," Cloudfare, a cybersecurity company, wrote about Syria. The Syrian authorities accused of disconnecting terrorists who allegedly cut the cables connecting the country with the outside world. According to Cloudflare, Syria is connected to the outside world by four cables - three laid along the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea through the port city of Tartus, the fourth connects on the ground with Turkey. Cloudflare concluded that it was impossible to cut all these cables at the same time, and the world media decided that the Syrian authorities themselves were behind the outages. Traffic in the country began to recover only on December 1. What actually happened then was told in August by Wired magazine by National Security Agency (NSA) defector Edward Snowden. According to him, NSA staff hackers tried to remotely install a spy program on one of the main routers in Syria - with its help, the Americans had to gain access to Syrian email and other Internet traffic. But something went wrong, and the router's operating system simply failed, Snowden said. According to him, the NSA hackers then joked: if we are caught by the hand, we will blame everything on Israel

Turkey

Until recently, the most liberal Muslim country did not cause much complaints among defenders of free speech. It remained on the lists of partially free countries, or countries "under observation": the authorities willingly both blocked sites, recognizing them as extremist, and removed the block. However, with the growing number of scandals related to the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the authorities have become much more scrupulous about netizens, especially bloggers.

Turkey constantly appears in all kinds of reports of independent international organizations as a country with a high level of Internet censorship. The Turkish authorities send requests to large IT companies with enviable frequency, and social networks and media portals from time to time become simply inaccessible^[69].

2020

Facebook and Instagram will open representative offices in Turkey

Facebook and Instagram will fulfill the requirement of the Turkish authorities to have a representative office in the country within the framework of the law on the regulation of social networks adopted in the republic. This was announced on January 18, the deputy head of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Omer Fatih Sayyan^[70].

"The day before the advertising ban is introduced, I want to give our citizens good news. Facebook and Instagram announced that they will open representative offices in our country in accordance with law 7253 (on the regulation of social networks), which entered into force on October 1, 2020, "Sputnik.Turkey.

We are talking about a bill adopted in July 2020 by the Turkish parliament, according to which large social networks with more than 1 million users are required to have representation in Turkey, the head of which must be its citizen. The number of Facebook and Instagram users in the republic exceeds 30 million people.

In November 2020, these social networks, as well as Twitter, YouTube, Periscope and TikTok, were fined 10 million Turkish lira (about $1.2 million) by the Turkish authorities for not opening representative offices on time.

In addition, according to the law, messages of an offensive and defamatory nature will be deleted without a court decision within two days. Also, companies undertake to store all the data of their Turkish customers in the country.

2020

Turkey fined a number of social networks for refusing to open representative offices in the country

On November 4, 2020, it became known that the authorities Turkey fined on Wednesday 10 million Turkish lira ($1.175 million),, social networks Facebook, Instagram Twitter Periscope, Youtube and due to TikTok (social network) a violation of the bill providing for the opening of representative offices of the listed companies in the republic.

If within 30 days after the fine is issued, social networks still do not notify the Turkish regulator about the appointment of their representatives, then each of the companies will be fined another 30 million lira ($3.5 million - approx TASS Information Agency of Russia.). If this requirement is violated, the authorities will prohibit posting advertizing on these social networks. If after this the obligations are not fulfilled within 3 months, then the bandwidth Internet for these social networks will be reduced by 50%, "Deputy Minister transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Omer Fatih Sayan wrote on his Twitter page.

Moreover, Sayan promised that in the future the throughput can be reduced by 90% if necessary.

At the end of July, the Turkish parliament passed a bill to strengthen control over foreign social networks. It provides for the opening by social networks of their representative offices in Turkey, so that legal entities in the republic are responsible for publishing illegal content on their platforms. They will also be obliged to take measures to prevent the dissemination of such information.

The initiators of this bill were the ruling Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party. Criticism from the ruling elite on foreign social networks hit in late June after Turkish Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak, who is also the son-in-law of President Tayyip Erdogan, posted on Twitter about the birth of his fourth child. In addition to positive ones, he received a lot of negative comments^[71].

Turkish contact tracing app for COVID-19 patients criticized

On August 26, 2020, it became known that the Turkish application to track contacts with patients coronavirus with infection () COVID-19 Hayat Eve Sigar was criticized by privacy advocates for adding a feature that allows users to report violations of social distancing rules with the ability to send photos. According to critics, the function violates civil liberties and promotes a "culture of denunciations." More. here

2018: Turkish authorities tighten internet censorship

On March 6, 2018, Turkish authorities tightened Internet censorship by blocking access to VPN servers used to bypass blocking and encrypted Proton Mail.

2017: Wikipedia stopped working in Turkey

In April 2017, Wikipedia stopped working in Turkey - the country's authorities blocked access to the online library in all languages. The blocking order came from the Information Technology and Communications Council. According to the Znak portal, dissatisfied with the recent expansion of the powers of President Recep Erdogan edited articles about him on Wikipedia, calling him a dictator.

2016

Turkey blocks a number of Internet resources after the murder of the Russian ambassador in Ankara

In December 2016, after the murder in Ankara, the Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov Turkey introduced a ban on the use of some resources. Internet In the country, some social networks and mobile applications were blocked for 10 hours. According to the organization Turkey Blocks, which monitors cases of censorship and blocking of web resources in Turkey, starting at 20:45 local time, many, but not all Internet users have lost access to,, and Facebook Twitter YouTube WhatsApp other social networks. Access was resumed at 6:00 local time^[72] the^[73]

Turkish providers begin blocking Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and WhatsApp

In November 2016, Turkish providers began blocking Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and the WhatsApp messenger, according to the Turkey Blocks project. Blocking services began on the night of November 4. Services are not available to users of most of the largest Internet service providers. For the first time, they face blocking WhatsApp in Turkey - previously, the country's authorities have never limited the work of the popular messenger. For what reasons the locks are carried out, it is not known.

Access to Wikileaks blocked in Turkey

In July 2016, access to the Wikileaks resource was blocked in Turkey. This is reported by the authors of the project on Twitter. The blocking occurred shortly after Wikileaks published about 300,000 emails from members of the ruling Justice and Development Party. The documents were obtained by Wikileaks a week before a coup attempt took place in Turkey. The most recent letters are dated July 6, 2016, the earliest - 2010.

Despite the fact that residents of the country lost access to Twitter, the official account of Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildyrym continued to be used to inform citizens "about the victory of democracy" and calls to express support for President Erdogan.

Modern technologies helped the head of state personally. So, Erdogan was aired on CNN using the FaceTime messenger. Telecom operators also contributed to the support of the current president. All three Turkish operators - Turkcell, Vodafone, Avea - sent SMS to their subscribers urging them to go outside for Erdogan. As a resident of Istanbul writes on his twitter, a similar "spam to help" was sent to Turkish users for several more days.

Wikileaks notes that they were not going to publish the correspondence so quickly, but decided to post it now in connection with the actions taken by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after an attempted military coup in the country. The project emphasizes that the source of the "plum" is not related to the rebellion and is not a representative of the political force opposed to Erdogan's regime. In Turkey, on the night of July 16, there was an attempted coup d'état staged by the rebellious military. Forces loyal to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed to stop the rebellion. Immediately after the rebellion, mass arrests and layoffs began in Turkey on suspicion of involvement in the rebellion. In particular, about three thousand judges were dismissed and detained, at least six thousand military men were arrested and 30 governors were deprived of their posts. Erdogan also promised to raise the issue of returning the death penalty in the country.

2015: Turkey passes law that allows sites to be blocked without court order

In 2015, the country passed a law according to which sites can be blocked without a court decision. The department responsible for the execution of the document is the Turkish analogue of Roskomnadzor - the Telecommunications and Communications Department of Turkey (TIB). The reasons for the restrictions are somewhat reminiscent of Russian law. Thus, sites containing information about drugs, suicide propaganda, gambling and child pornography are subject to restrictions. For publication on the Internet in Turkey, for example, the propaganda of prostitution and speech against the personality cult of the first president of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is also prohibited.

'It's simple

. Something happens - a rally, unrest, a coup, a terrorist attack, and so on. And you already know that Twitter and Facebook will be blocked for about an hour. After some time, access to them is returned, "a resident of Istanbul told Gazeta.Ru.

"Such blockages take place exclusively for political purposes, primarily to make it difficult to mobilize demonstrations and rallies through social networks. And also block the spread of alternative positions regarding official state propaganda, "said Artem Kozlyuk, project manager of Roskomsvoboda, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.

2014: Turkey adopts Internet law containing many bans

In February 2014, parliament passed a new law on the Internet, containing many prohibitions: from insults to Ataturk to online gambling. The number of grounds on which it was possible to block sites also expanded, and on March 20, at the level of an IP address, access to was blocked Twitter (on the basis of a court decision that recognized the microblogging platform as a "violator of personal privacy rights"). This decision was subsequently recognized as unconstitutional, but before that, Turkish users learned to bypass the ban by sending tweets by SMS, using technology VPN and Tor, or replacing DNS server addresses (for several days this loophole was blocked). Erdogan remains determined to "expel" Twitter from the Turkish segment of Internet^[74]

In March 2014, shortly before the local elections, information about a corruption scandal in government circles began to spread on Twitter and YouTube. Since that time, a new stage of official state policy in the field of the Internet in Turkey has begun. Already in 2015, a law was passed in the country, according to which sites could be blocked without a court decision for 4 hours. Responsible for execution is the Turkish Telecommunications and Communications Authority (TIB). Sites containing suicide propaganda, information about drugs, gambling, child pornography, etc. are subject to blocking. Propaganda of prostitution and criticism of the first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is also prohibited. Also, during crisis situations, various social services, such as Twitter, are blocked.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the most influential Arab country with a developed IT sector and telecom. In 2016, the country passed a law requiring fingerprints when buying SIM cards. Subsequently, providers turned off numbers whose owners did not go through the biometric identification procedure. ^[75].

The Saudi Internet prohibits sites with gambling, pornography, pirated content, information about narcotic substances, sites of such human rights organizations as the Political Rights Organization and the Saudi Civil, sites of banned opposition parties, sites criticizing the royal family and content incompatible with Islamic ideas about ethics and morality.

Internet content in Saudi Arabia is controlled by both intelligence agencies and public organizations. At the same time, the emphasis is not on blocking, but on identifying users and bringing them to administrative and criminal liability for posting content that violates the laws of the kingdom.

The story that caused the greatest international outcry is the death penalty sentence of Saudi Arabian Ahmad Al-Shamri for a tweet insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

In September 2017, the Saudi authorities unblocked WhatsApp and Snapchat and allowed calls through Skype, Line, Telegram, Tango. Still, in the Freedom House report "Freedom on the Net 2017," Saudi Arabia is in 4th place since the end.

Israel

2020: Israeli government approves initiative to track citizens' phones without court order

On March 15, 2020, the government Israel approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's initiative to use anti-terrorist measures to combat the spread. coronavirus The government reportedly agreed to allow the Shin Bet counterintelligence service to massively track citizens' phones without a court warrant. The final decision on the introduction of this measure will be made by the Knesset subcommittee on special services. More. here

Iran

2020

Check Point reveals campaign to spy on Iranian opposition figures via Telegram

On October 8, 2020, it became known that The Iranian hackers they used harmful ON it to collect as much as possible about information their victims. They were mainly interested in information from Telegram and KeePass manager passwords

Check Point researchers uncovered a 6-year-old large-scale surveillance operation carried out by Iranian organizations against the opposition. According to the evidence that was collected, hackers appear to be operating from Iran and take advantage of several attack vectors.

Back in 2014, hackers used several attack vectors at once: it is more effective. They sought to access Telegram and KeePass accounts by extracting two-factor authentication codes from SMS messages, recording sounds next to a smartphone. In addition, they distributed phishing pages on Telegram, disguising themselves as a messenger support service.

What this infostiler can do:

• Download files from Telegram from the victim's computer. These files allow attackers to fully use the victim's Telegram account.
• Steal information from KeePass password manager
• Download any files with specified extensions
• Read and store clipboard data and take screenshots of the desktop
• Save to the device for a long time, despite Telegram updates

During the investigation, Check Point experts discovered a malicious Android application associated with the same attackers. The application disguises itself as a service that helps Persian speakers get a driver's license in Sweden. It can be assumed that the targets of the attack were Iranians who migrated to Europe. What the backdoor allowed:

• Access SMS messages and personal information, such as contacts, accounts on your smartphone
• Send SMS messages with a code for two-factor authentication to the phone number of attackers
• Record all sounds near your smartphone.
• Get all information about the device: which applications are installed, which processes are running.

Some sites linked to the attackers also hosted phishing pages that mimicked the Telegram support account. Surprisingly, several Iranian Telegram channels issued warnings about phishing sites, claiming that the Iranian regime was behind them. According to the channels, such messages were sent by a Telegram bot: he warned that users allegedly used Telegram incorrectly and that their account would be blocked if they did not follow the link - which was eventually phishing. Another source provided screenshots of phishing attempts, which show that the attackers created an account that mimics the official Telegram support account. Interestingly, at first the attackers sent messages to a legitimate Telegram update - a phishing message came only five days later and contained a link to a malicious domain.

After researching these attacks, several key points can be noted, "says Lotem Finkelstin, a leading expert on Check Point threat analysis. - Firstly, special attention is paid to surveillance of messages. Telegram messages cannot be decrypted, but Telegram can be hacked. Everyone should be aware of possible correspondence surveillance, especially on Telegram - and be very careful about it. Secondly, all investigated mobile, computer phishing attacks are associated with the same hacker operation. This means that attacks are carried out in accordance with intelligence objectives, with national interests, and are not related to technical problems. We will continue to monitor the situation in regions around the world to better inform people about cybersecurity issues.

Iran has created a fake app for diagnosing coronavirus that monitors people

On March 16, 2020, it became known that two weeks ago, millions Iranians simultaneously received smartphones a notification from Ministries of Health Iran about the need to establish, application allegedly allowing to diagnose. coronavirus More. here

2019: Iran turns off internet after unrest as petrol prices rise

In mid-November 2019, Iran turned off the Internet amid a wave of protests that swept across the country over the government's decision to raise gasoline prices.

According to the NetBlocks service, which analyzes the work, Internet the number of network connections in Iran fell to 7% on the evening of November 16. Also recorded the disconnection of mobile communications of the country's largest operators, including MCI Rightel and IranCell.

Who exactly is behind the large-scale Internet shutdown has not been officially announced. ISNA, citing a knowledgeable source in the Iranian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, reports that access to the Internet is limited by order of the country's supreme national security council.

To return the Internet to normal operation, a resolution of the country's Supreme National Security Council is also needed, said a spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Communications, quoted by Al Arabiya TV channel.

US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus condemned Iran's internet shutdown.

The US supports the long-suffering Iranian people who are protesting the latest unfair moves by the corrupt regime in power. We condemn the attempt to turn off the Internet. Let them talk! 'she wrote on a Twitter blog.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani decided to raise gasoline prices by 50% in order to provide material assistance to the poor in the country with the funds received. It is expected that this measure will bring about 300 trillion rials ($2.55 billion) per year.

Iran ranks one of the last places in the global ranking on Internet governance capabilities, according to a report by the PRC Network Space Institute, which was released in October 2019.^[76]

2018: Telegram and Instagram temporarily blocked

On January 1, 2018, the Iranian Minister of Communications announced that Telegram and Instagram were temporarily blocked "for the safety of the Iranian people." There were also problems with access to the servers of Digital Ocean, whose services are used by numerous VPN bypass services. The 9 most popular VPN services in Iran were temporarily unavailable. During the peak of the protests, Telegram bots recruited 200,000 new users a day to bypass locks.

Telegram in Iran was unblocked on January 13, 2018 - primarily due to losses of small and medium-sized businesses. According to an unofficial estimate, during this period about 100 thousand people temporarily lost their jobs. Still. On April 30, 2018, an Iranian court again decided to block the messenger.

2017: Iran's state provider tries to hide hundreds of sites with pornographic content

In the early days of 2017, Iran's state-owned provider tried to hide hundreds of sites with pornographic content.

In Iran, another attempt to block sites with pornography led to the fact that users from Indonesia,, and India Russia Hong Kong countries were left without access to these resources. Access was blocked by accident. Experts from Iran tried to redirect traffic to 256 adult sites using the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), which is used on the Internet to exchange communication data between nodes. With their help, the computer determines the exact address of a particular resource, writes. Lenta.ru However, shortly after the intervention of Iranian specialists, users from some countries and several regions of India also found that when trying to connect to blocked sites, they had an empty white window^[77]

It is worth noting that this already happened in 2008, when Pakistan accidentally blocked YouTube around the world for two hours. And Turkey somehow filtered through its servers a huge part of the traffic coming from Amazon, Microsoft, CNN and other sites.

2009: The Law "On Computer Crimes" was adopted

After the anti-government unrest of 2009, called the "Twitte Revolution," the Computer Crimes Act was passed, which allows the government to filter sites for content contrary to "decency and public morality." During a period of increased political activity, such as those related to elections, the authorities block access to Twitter and Facebook

2001: Iran introduces official rules to control access and censor content

The Internet in Iran already has its own history and appeared not much later than in Russia (USSR). In 1992, Iran became the second country in the Middle East to have access to the worldwide network, and only in 2001 did official rules for controlling access and censoring content be introduced.

All providers and internet cafes had to receive licenses to provide the relevant services. Such licenses could only be obtained by married/married citizens of Iran who profess Islam. Censorship in Iran is legalized by the constitution, according to which the media should contribute to "a constructive clash of different opinions and ideas and resolutely refrain from spreading destructive and anti-Islamic phenomena." Since 2001, providers have been required to provide access to the Internet through gateways controlled by the Iranian Telecommunications Company. It is also a monopoly of broadband Internet access: private providers use its capacity on lease terms.

Bahrain

Bahrain, like many Gulf monarchies, uses a sophisticated internet content filtering technique similar to China's. The authorities block access not only to "pornography," but also to all sites of political and religious content, the point of view of which is different from the official one. Discussion of the royal family, the government or the Shia community that rebelled in 2011 is strictly limited. Since 2009, all providers have been required to install programs to filter network packets by their content, allowing sites to be blocked by decision of the authorities, in particular, the BlueCoat system used by many authoritarian regimes. The authorities do not disdain hacker tactics to shut up dissenters: "phishing" and stealing IP address space. The latest technique is to install "Trojan" programs that calculate the IP addresses of devices, which allows you to subsequently identify anonymous network users

South America

Brazil

The Rio de Janeiro court in the summer of 2016 ordered telecom operators to block the WhatsApp messenger for the third time throughout the country. It is reported by The Next Web with reference to the Brazilian portal Globo.com ^[78]

As in the previous two cases of access restrictions (in May 2016 and December 2015), the decision is connected with the refusal of the service administration to issue information to the authorities about users who appear in the drug trafficking case.

In addition, the court ordered Facebook (which owns WhatsApp) to pay $50,000 a day until the decision to provide information to the authorities is executed. Brazilian law enforcement agencies want to obtain data on the negotiations of two suspects using the messenger. With the help of correspondence, the police were going to go on the trail of a group of drug dealers who operate in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Spain.

Cuba

With Internet sedition, the Cuban authorities are fighting in the manner of Korean. The vast majority of Cubans do not even have the potential to access the Internet. Only in the summer of 2013, the authorities went for relaxation, opening 118 state-owned Internet cafes. Using a computer in them costs from $4.5 to $10 per hour with an average salary of $20-25 per month

Africa

Egypt

2018: Egyptian authorities get the right to block social media accounts

On July 17, 2018, the Egyptian parliament approved a law giving the country's authorities the authority to block citizens' social media accounts and punish journalists for publishing fabricated news.

In accordance with the changes in legislation, users of social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and bloggers who have more than 5 thousand subscribers will be equated with the media, so they may be subject to prosecution for publishing false news or inciting violation of the law.

According to Reuters news agency, control over the implementation of the law and the adoption of measures against its violators will be entrusted to the Egyptian Supreme Council for Media Regulation. The head of this council will be appointed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Creating new Internet resources will now also not be so easy. Permission will need to be obtained from the Supreme Council, which will be able to block any sites and impose fines on their owners.

In addition, the law, which comes into force after its ratification by al-Sisi, requires journalists to shoot stories and films only in permitted places. Which ones are not specified.

Supporters of the president say the law is meant to protect freedom of expression and passed after consulting with journalists and judiciary officials.

However, critics see the initiative as heavy censorship, a legal tool that allows the government to fight dissent and tighten its grip on social media.

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator Sherif Mansour believes that the vague language of the law allows authorities to interpret violations at their own discretion and control the media.^[79]

2011

Trying to stop the 2011 revolution, Hosni Mubarak's regime literally cut the country off from the internet. On January 28, the largest Egyptian subnets began to turn off one after another - on a call from the presidential palace. More than 3.5 thousand routes were limited, which are responsible for routing data between the world Internet and its Egyptian segment. At the same time, domain name bases (DNS) were cleaned up: all sites in the.eg zone simply stopped "being." Prior to this, the authorities acted pointwise: access to Twitter, YouTube, Hotmail, Google, Facebook was prohibited by IP addresses . Activists gained access to the Internet through the same dial-up, and their supporters abroad organized a "voice Twitter" campaign: voice messages from participants in the revolution were translated into Twitter posts

Zimbabwe

In January 2019, the internet was completely disconnected in Zimbabwe. This was done after the start of riots in the country, the organizers of which coordinated protests through social networks and instant messengers. Read more here.

Notes