Kaznet under fire
July 8, 2009
Translation of the publicist’s post, originally posted on neweurasia.net
How would Kaznet develop after the notorious amendments to the Law on internet are adopted? Yesterday there was the attempt to answer this question taken in MediaNet, the International center of Journalism, where the research on the economic after-effects of the mentioned amendments was carried out by polling over 60 professional web-market players.
According to the majority of the respondents, the prime cost of the internet business in Kazakhstan will increase by over 10%, which would negatively affect its competitiveness. At that, the group of high risk web-projects that can either loose their positions or disappear at all includes Web 2.0 resources, interactive projects with user-generated content (such as: forum, blogs and social networks).
It also became clear that 95% of the internet providers and 98% of website owners, which took part in the poll, had not been asked for the opinion when the amendments to the law were prepared. According to MediaNet the draft of the law meets neither the demands of the local market, nor the international legal standards, and, moreover, it even contradicts the state concept of uniform information space.
Kazakhstan: State-ordered blogging
July 2, 2009
Translation of my post at neweurasia.net
roose, the blogger from YVision.kz blog platform in Kazakhstan, has posted [ru] a letter from the government to the principals of schools and colleges of the country containing recommendations to use KazTube.Kz video portal, which was created in February, 2009 at the expense of the state budget. In particular, the principals are urged to post videos about “significant events taking place in their institutions on a regular basis.”
akost has associated [ru] this “marketing approach” with the one that had been applied back in the Soviet times, when “people were forced to work on subbotniks (area clean-ups), and nowadays people are forced to upload videos to inferior video portals”. bakha has suggested [ru] that the reason for that is that “the authorities have dumped a lot of money into that project and now they are looking for the ways to justify it by administrative increase of traffic”. At the same time, Kimberly jokingly notes [ru] that “fun” is the most popular tag on KazTube.
Against the background of the notorious amendments on Internet regulation and their adoption by the Parliament, one may readily suppose that such approach can become a regular practice in the near future. Kazakhstan may deliberately hinder the development of web 2.0 with its user generated content and replace it with the “approved by the government content”.
Kuanyshbek Yesekeyev, the head of IT and Communications Agency, who initiated these amendments, is worried [ru]:
“Internet has to be regulated to some extent. If it flows naturally, then there is a possibility that the events similar to those in Moldova (when popular uprising was organized via Internet) will take place in Kazakhstan.”
So far no criticism has taken due effect. Roundtables held by rights advocates, letters addressed by journalists and politicians to the Parliament, and even the strong criticism of the OSCE and other international organizations failed to stop adoption of this online censorship law. OSCE Representative for the Freedom of Media Miklos Haraszti has said that this law would become a step backwards and asked president Nazarbayev to veto it.
Is Kazakhstan going to remain the country with positive contemporary history, which voluntary abandoned nuclear weapons and put forward various integration initiatives, or is it going to spoil its image and give a green light to censorship despite protests of local and international community? The Parliament of Kazakhstan has already passed the amendments and submitted them to the president for signing.
Also posted on Global Voices
Specially for Adam Kesher from Bonn, Germany
June 7, 2009
DW Global Media Forum, Bonn, June 3-5, 2009
June 7, 2009
Should dreams come true?!
May 28, 2009
I think they should. And hope very much that Samat whom you may know via Kloop.kg and the first barcamp in Kyrgyzstan projects could do this!
Be kind, re-post, forward via e-mail, tell everyone interested about such an interesting guy from Kyrgyzstan who dreams to be a graphic designer, was already accepted (and no doubt, it was uneasy to achieve!) to become a student of the European University of Design, and what he needs by now is to find tuition fee.
All the documents Samat has he forwarded me: letters from University, bank accounts details. I will forward them to you with pleasure! Just drop your e-mail in comments below.
Samat tells his story by himself:
My name is Samat Barataliev. I’m 22 years old.
I have a dream to become professional graphic designer.
I studied finance at the university, but realized it is far from what I really want to do in my life.
Finally I have an opportunity to study what I’m committed to and love to do. I was accepted to European Institute of Design with an offer of partial scholarship covering 20% of my tuition. It is a three year undergraduate program of the graphic design. EID is one of the most famous design school not only in Europe, but in the whole world.
However, the tuition fee made me very upset at certain moment, because it makes up 7400 euros a year with the 20% discount.
But everytime I think of having this opportunity to study there, I understand it’s my dream. This is what I always wanted and couldn’t find here in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
I am required to pay first installment of EUR 2200 before May 30. And the rest of EUR 5400 should be paid until September.
I know it might seem unreal, especially taking into account that it doesn’t include accommodation, meals and other living expenses. But I believe I have this chance and way to achieve it.
If you have this opportunity, you can send some money to Web-money, or make a transfer in Euros or US dollars to my bank account (all the bank information is attached to this email, I will soon post other ways of transfer on my website http://sam.kloop.kg). At the same website soon you can learn about me and my work.
In return, I can offer you my skills I will acquire at EID. I can make you a website, advertisement design and other types of services and goods, i.e. brand logo, style, etc. Also other ways of partnerships are possible.
Website creativediary.net was used to submit works for participation in grant competition to study at EID. Here you can find I became finalist and received partial award http://creativediary.net/samat-barataliev/
I have also attached official information about the Institute, graphic design program, addition information about my award and bank accounts:
course admission confirmation;
course description;
EUR account info;
USD account info.
Please forward this letter to those people who in your opinion can be interested or ready to support me. I sincerely appreciate your help.
Thank you very much!
Samat Barataliev, sam.designer@gmail.com
Everything is possible!
May 27, 2009
Here it is, an example of commercial pretends to be ideal one. Simple, understandable, very personal and just about everyone of us. Inspirational.
Giessen University
May 26, 2009
As a Fellow Researcher on the EU-Central Asia-Germany Volkswagen Stiftung project, sometimes I give lectures at our host University in Giessen. The first one was about Mass Media situation in Central Asia.
In a lecture about Kazakhstan we showed a slideshow made via Animoto
Plans for June
May 26, 2009
Instead of writing “supported by” just mention, this is a place where I will be spending a lot of time next month 
)
Plans for June in short (for any case if you are around):
| June 3-5 | Bonn | Germany | DW Global Media Forum |
| June 5-9 | Zuerich | Switzerland | private reason |
| June 10-11 | Brussels | Belgium | business trip |
| June 12 | Paris | France | business trip |
| June 13-15 | Brussels | Belgium | weekend |
| June 20-21 | Moscow | РФ | CIVICUS project meeting |
| June 22 | Jena | Germany | business trip |
| June 26-28 | St.Petersburg | Russia | NevaCamp.com conference |
| June 30 | Bazel | Switzerland | private reason |
Schedule could be changed, follow my trips at Dopplr.com Be happy to see you somewhere!!
Originally posted at NewEurasia.net
***
Translation of Slavasay’s post
The lower chamber’s working group for the draft law on regulation and censorship of the Internet excluded the article that entitled general prosecutor to suspend the activity of any media outlet and website (including access to foreign websites from Kazakhstan). On the one hand, this can be regarded as a first small victory in the series of battles that we must win in the struggle for free Internet.
On the other hand, personally I am more concerned, rather than inspired, by this victory. In my opinion, MPs and developers of the draft law excluded this norm in order to say later that they have made a concession to the society’s demands and suggestions. And the second most controversial part of the draft law – concerning equation of all blogs, forums, chatrooms etc. with mass media – will be adopted.
I also think that after such decision of the working group, the chances of this draft law to be adopted and signed into force by the president have increased dramatically. Before that, the combination of dubious norms in the draft law was pointing at the perspective that it could be vetoed. Well, we’ll see. The second reading in Majilis will take place, most likely, May 13.
