Asian style

    Recent years have shown significant progress in the development and application of modern information and telecommunication technologies, which, potentially, can be used for purposes contrary to the maintenance of international stability and security ...

    Something like this could start another novel about the life of mankind in the post-industrial world, destroyed by a tyrannical government (s?), Where instead of progress and technology, only total control remained, a kind of anti-utopia, in the spirit of science fiction genre works.

    But even in books, the main characters are well able to distinguish their own fantasies from reality, cruel, stupid and still predictable. Therefore, do not be fooled, the quote above is the beginning of a most amusing document found on the UN e-government website and signed by the permanent delegates of Russia, China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - the world’s leading editor in the Internet, so to speak.

    But first things first. The “Code of Conduct” presented by the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the 66th meeting was written in English and is unlikely to contain an expansion of the freedom of Internet users, a deeper involvement of the government in dialogue with the people or initiatives to create a truly electronic government. Already from the first quote one can understand that the representatives of these four countries see in the global network exclusively an adversary, a spy and a terrorist. If you cannot catch him (and in fact - how to catch yourself by the tail), then you need to create effective control tools.

    wailedAnd even though the adoption of the “code” is voluntary, one gets the feeling that something more is brewing inside the four delegates who signed the document - and if in China you need to provide passport data in order to access the Internet in a public place, then in Russia there’s nothing There is no such thing yet, but “our siloviki and politicians (which in my opinion is the same in today's Russia) have been dreaming for a long time to“ effectively control and prevent the creation of terrorist, extremist ”and other crooked communities. The fact that this document was shown at the UN only speaks of the desire to post-factum inform the world political community - I do not know how it is in China, and in the vast expanses of the former USSR the apparatchiks "do not spend money on failed projects." That is, one way or another ...

    The key conclusion that follows from this pamphlet is that the countries that signed the document want complete control over what is happening on the Internet in the territory of a single state (albeit it is impossible to draw a clear border), not forgetting to curtsy towards the public - they say, the process this one is multifaceted and should involve representatives from business and civil society.

    And today would not be so sunny if the document did not call on the participating countries to “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms,” along with “the fight against crime and terrorist activity, which uses information and communication technologies, including social networks”.

    Since everyone in the Ukrainian expanses loves streamlined formulations that can be pulled over the ears or another place to practice, all signatories will by all means “stop the spread of information inciting terrorism, separation or extremism, and also stop the spread of information undermining political, economic and social stability, as well as the spiritual and cultural environment. ”

    In harsh reality, this suggests that if there is really something more behind a simple PDF, especially against the background of the frequent conversations of our politicians about “Internet activity” and ubiquitous control, then soon any communication tool or even networking can be by and large to be cut off from the Russian audience. Using Facebook organized revolutions in the East? Did Twitter help coordinate mobs robbing shops in London? There is a solution!

    Against the background of the upcoming elections, the initiative of the states “to lead all elements of society, including information and communication partners, to closer relations with the private sector, to understand their own role and responsibility in relation to information security” also looks interesting.

    As for the other UN member states, they took this document very coldly, which is not surprising. Despite the fact that the number of Internet users in the four countries that have adopted the code of honor is relatively large, it is unlikely that we can compare with Western neighbors and distant countries in terms of the percentage of Internet penetration into the lives of ordinary people, and, perhaps more importantly, in terms of awareness by this layman what is the Internet in principle.

    Attempts to fit the virtual world under territorial sovereignty, according to many, are a failure. Not only because here we finally found the long-awaited freedom and are not ready to part with it, but also because fundamentally (or, if you like, architecturally) these two paradigms cannot successfully overlap.

    And if suddenly our politicians still do not understand that the global network has long been a free possession of everyone, then, in principle, we all have a chance to prove it. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if someday they will follow you after the next update of Vkontakte status or a sharp tweet to the politician who is now actively accustomed to “listen to what people say”.

    In the comments gave a link to the text of the letter in Russian - enjoy .

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