Digital Report Weekly, May 29th 2015. For whom the net tolls? Intranet for Russian government, blocking for Kyrgyz extremists, new e-commerce laws for Uzbekistan

May 23 — 29, 2015

.RU

Russia to develop a broader Internet strategy

Russian President charged First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Vyacheslav Volodin, Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications Nikolay Nikiforov, and the Institute of Internet Development (IID) with developing a strategic vision for the RuNet. The IID will work on the strategy for the RuNet and related economic sectors. The strategy is to include the global promotion of Russian technologies, development of online ticket sales, informatisation within the banking sector, and e-government services. The president’s initiative may mean that the Russian government admits the importance of the Internet and technologies in economic development of the country.

.KG

Kyrgyzstan will soon be able to block websites without a court order

Law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan introduced amendments to the law “On Informatisation” and anti-extremist legislation. The proposed amendments will allow security agencies and the Ministry to block websites without a court order. The Ministry claims that new amendments are necessary for national security. According to the Ministry, the spread of extremist materials on the Internet poses a great threat to Kyrgyzstan’s national security. Current legislation permits website blocking based on a court order, which this new legislation will bypass. Activists worry that an extrajudicial process will facilitate mass blockings of independent information sources and limit the citizenry’s ability to express itself.

.RU

Russia to establish an intranet for government use

President Putin signed a decree requiring all government departments to use a soon-to-be-developed intranet, which the Federal Guard Service (FSO) will create and oversee. This will be compulsory for the Presidential Executive Office, the government, the Investigative Committee, and federal and local enforcement authorities but the decree also implies that the Federation Council and the Parliament must also use the encrypted intranet. The decree supports the government push for greater protection of state information.

.UZ

Law on e-commerce comes into force in Uzbekistan

On May 25th, a new law on e-commerce came into force in Uzbekistan. The government claims that the previous law adopted in 2004 is outdated and does not consider modern e-commerce developments and technological progress. Authorities claim that the updated version takes e-commerce development in Uzbekistan into consideration. For example, it equates electronic and paper documents and enforces electronic contracts. It also recognizes different forms of commercial documentation presented in electronic forms such as bills, invoices, receipts, and other commercial documentation. This is an important step towards e-commerce development and trade facilitation in general. Legal recognition of e-commerce documentation will facilitate online business as well as ensure the appropriate legal protection in the long term.

.AZ

Trend of improving ICT infrastructure in Azerbaijan continues

The Data Processing Center (DPC) of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies (MCIT) of Azerbaijan announced that it will conduct a review of government information systems. The DPC aims to identify and solve issues related to electronic government services and information collection and protection. At the moment the DPC registered 164 personal data systems in Azerbaijan. The DPC will verify e-government services systems, data collection and storage systems, and the potential for optimisation of electronic services. This follows the trend within Azerbaijan of ICT modernisation.