Uzbek authorities have banned Facebook, Ferghana.Ru reports. I don’t have doubts on who gave such an order but I wonder if our government is really as sick as it seems from this decision to consider a social network as a serious threat to the regime.

First of all, people in Facebook cannot act anonymously. Had secret services thought about controlling “dissidents” they would have done it easily by scanning users’ IPs randomly. Seems like they have finally realized that everything is not as great and shiny in Uzbekistan as described by the official means of propaganda, and banning a social network popular with Uzbekistanis and those who don’t feel indifferent to its destiny will further strengthen the control of the informational flow.

Since Facebook is a network of millions and millions of people around the globe it’s one of the easiest ways to spread the word for civil activists if needed.

One of the reasons why government couldn’t stand the use of Facebook by Uzbek internet-users might be the side adds on network’s page one could see on how to avoid the ban of independent websites by just clicking on it. From my personal experience I could easily follow adds to access many websites banned in the country, including neweurasia.

According to the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2010 released yesterday, October 20, the level of censorship in Uzbekistan is as insane as in countries like such as Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Yemen, Rwanda, Burma, Iran, Turkmenistan and North Korea. Uzbekistan is on the 163 position with a tendency to a regress for the last few years.

Moreover, RFS states that “…Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are ranked dangerously close to Uzbekistan” which means that the latter has already became a standard of stagnation and failures in the press freedom issues. This is scary.

“As for Uzbekistan, the core of independent journalists who refuse to give up is now in the judicial authorities’ line of fire. Documentary film-makers, like trusted journalists, have also been victims of the regime’s paranoia. All of these developments have only been met with indifference on the part of the European States, too concerned about energy security to protest scandalous practices which violate every international commitment made by Central Asian governments.” Press Freedom Index 2010 by Reporters Without Borders.

Nodir Ergashev, one of Ferghana.Ru visitors who commented on the news said that the web site exaggerates the fact by saying that:

“…I am at one of the Old City’s internet cafes and my Facebook page opens easily. I could access it for the whole day from my mobile phone without any problem. Shame on you for publishing this kind of information without a double check. I called my friends from Chilanzar, Yunusabad (both are names of districts of Tashkent) and they confirmed that their Facebooks worked as well.”

I checked this with at least nine friends using internet from different Uzbek internet providers — seven out of nine failed to access their personal pages on Facebook. Not to mention my feeling that the guy who left a comment is just another person from or hired by the government to defend government’s reputation on the websites with a critical point of view on events in this Central Asian information. But this is just my opinion.

To note, out of my those nine friends only two of them could access Facebook.com. Both of them use Sarkor Telecom which is the most expensive internet provider in Uzbekistan.

According to RSF’s another report called Internet Enemies:

“[In Uzbekistan]… deprived of independent media outlets, the authorities impose a very strict Internet censorship, while refusing to admit it publicly. Website filtering, sanctions and intimidations are used against potential critics of the regime. Netizens have learned to practice self-censorship.” Internet Enemies by Reporters Without Borders.

“Now there is no window to “Europe” (meaning Western civilization — A.). Soon we will ride donkeys instead of cars. So on and so forth,” says sesh.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Internet Enemies — Uzbekistan by Reporters Without Borders follow this link.

Press Freedom Index 2010 by Reporters Without Borders follow this link.