Only Law Enforcement Officers Have Access to Restricted Sites in Bynet

Internet providers that fail to comply with requirements to restrict access to some information, prohibited by the law of Belarus, may be subject to a fine since January 6.

The penalty for violation of the requirement to limit Internet access will range from 10 to 30 base units (base amount currently equals Br35 thousand).

There was also introduced an administrative responsibility for data transmission operators, Internet cafes and computer clubs. Now they are obliged to carry out the identification of user devices. Record-keeping and storage of information about subscribers' devices and personal data of users of Internet services are now mandatory as well.

The penalty for violation of these requirements may range from 5 to 15 base units.

As Telegraf previously reported, 35 online resources are included in the list of restricted access in Belarus. Most of the "blacklisted" resources are pornographic sites. Access to them is closed on a mandatory basis in government agencies, educational and cultural institutions.

April 7, State inspectorate on telecommunication of Belarus sent an updated list of banned Internet resources to the Belarusian Internet service providers. This list included a number of prominent opposition online publications. In accordance with decree № 60, providers must block access of state agencies and organizations, as well as institutions of education and culture to the listed sites. Later, the Prosecutor General of Belarus decided to restrict access to the site prokopovi.ch, used by Belarusians to negotiate fx rates.