RSF: Adoption of decree on online registration worrying (/)
05/28/2005 | Sztefan von Seitz
Adoption of decree on online registration worrying
Reporters Without Borders expressed concern at a new decree governing registration of websites, put forward by the Ministry of Transport and Communication, that has already come under attack from the Ukrainian media.
Compulsory registration has so far been adopted only by countries that trample free expression, such as China and Vietnam, the organisation pointed out.
"This step could damage freedom of expression on the Internet. We will be watching closely to see that this registration procedure does not become obligatory for private websites," the organisation said.
To be allowed to appear, sites must not call for "a change of government through violence" or support "terrorism", not damage individuals' "honour", "dignity" or "reputation" and not post "swear words" or pornographic content. Reporters Without Borders said the language is however too vague to guarantee press freedom if it were to be applied to private websites.
The decree, adopted on 18 May, also specifies that an "administrator" will decide on the registration of the website, opening the way to administrative censorship of the Internet, said the organisation.
"The way the decree is worded appears to suggest that all electronic media - private and public - will be forced to register in future. A recent statement from the Ministry of Transport and Communication that it would only be compulsory for government-run sites, has not completely reassured us," it said.
"We therefore wish to make our position clear on this. Demanding that those running private sites make themselves known to the authorities, linking their registration to a series of vague conditions, will push most of them into secrecy and others into self-censorship. In any case this type of measure should be debated by Ukraine's parliament and not the subject of a simple government decree," it said.
The decree, put forward by the ministry on 27 April, came into effect on 18 May after it was registered with the Justice Ministry. It appeared to have been drawn up originally for both public and private sites, but then declared optional when it provoked strong criticism.
Among internal critics is director general of the legal consulting firm Media House, Mykola Kniazhytski, who called it "an absurd attempt to introduce Internet censorship". "Only a court can punish people who break laws on the Internet," he said.
Bahrain recently introduced a similar measure but appears likely to agree to amendments following widespread criticism.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13916
Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world, as well as the right to inform the public and to be informed, in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Reporters Without Borders has nine national sections (in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), representatives in Abidjan, Bangkok, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and Washington and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide.
Reporters Without Borders expressed concern at a new decree governing registration of websites, put forward by the Ministry of Transport and Communication, that has already come under attack from the Ukrainian media.
Compulsory registration has so far been adopted only by countries that trample free expression, such as China and Vietnam, the organisation pointed out.
"This step could damage freedom of expression on the Internet. We will be watching closely to see that this registration procedure does not become obligatory for private websites," the organisation said.
To be allowed to appear, sites must not call for "a change of government through violence" or support "terrorism", not damage individuals' "honour", "dignity" or "reputation" and not post "swear words" or pornographic content. Reporters Without Borders said the language is however too vague to guarantee press freedom if it were to be applied to private websites.
The decree, adopted on 18 May, also specifies that an "administrator" will decide on the registration of the website, opening the way to administrative censorship of the Internet, said the organisation.
"The way the decree is worded appears to suggest that all electronic media - private and public - will be forced to register in future. A recent statement from the Ministry of Transport and Communication that it would only be compulsory for government-run sites, has not completely reassured us," it said.
"We therefore wish to make our position clear on this. Demanding that those running private sites make themselves known to the authorities, linking their registration to a series of vague conditions, will push most of them into secrecy and others into self-censorship. In any case this type of measure should be debated by Ukraine's parliament and not the subject of a simple government decree," it said.
The decree, put forward by the ministry on 27 April, came into effect on 18 May after it was registered with the Justice Ministry. It appeared to have been drawn up originally for both public and private sites, but then declared optional when it provoked strong criticism.
Among internal critics is director general of the legal consulting firm Media House, Mykola Kniazhytski, who called it "an absurd attempt to introduce Internet censorship". "Only a court can punish people who break laws on the Internet," he said.
Bahrain recently introduced a similar measure but appears likely to agree to amendments following widespread criticism.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13916
Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world, as well as the right to inform the public and to be informed, in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Reporters Without Borders has nine national sections (in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), representatives in Abidjan, Bangkok, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and Washington and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide.