By the way, it it legal to _use_ Tor in Belarus? Is it correct, that Tor should be blocked by ISPs, but user can't be punished for circumvention?

That's my understanding of the document http://www.pravo.by/main.aspx?guid=12551&p0=T21503059&p1=1&p...

That's my understanding too of the situation too. Thanks for the link, BTW.

I am neither from Belarus nor Russia and don't know what to think here. If either of you can provide some references to back up your positions that would be great, thanks.

My position is equal to yours: unless there are facts, it's a fantasy (modestly saying).

Moreover, in this particular case there are facts which don't fit into the idea that Russia first experiments in Belarus. For example Russia has a regulation that personal info of user should be stored inside the country (LinkeIn was banned recently for not obeying this regulation). There is no such regulation in Belarus. If Russia was experimenting first in Belarus they would try it here first.

Also, there is Chinese experience to study, I don't see any need for additional experiments.

So, it's nothing more than a conspiracy superstition.

No one says Belarus is the only place to run experiments on, or need in such field for every single experiment etc. Also, there was an initiative to move all the servers into the country (still in effect officially) for both domestic and foreign companies. Obviously it can not be achieved (just imagine fitting Microsoft-size-worth of servers into tiny country like Belarus (~9M people). For country like Russia you can do something like that to _some_ _degree_

> No one says Belarus is the only place to run experiments on

So you're now saying China's firewall is also a Russian experiment?

thanks for the expansion. I would suggest though, that just because they did not try something first this time, would not constitute a proof that they never do, nor even that they often do?

> So, it's nothing more than a conspiracy superstition.

Well, we do know that state sponsored internet trolls exist and have done for some time. They are not always subtle, but that doesn't mean that they are not very successfully subtle also.

I read an interesting article recently (though I can't find it now, sorry), which made an attempt to guess the number of such trolls on a country by country basis. Any comment either enhancing or detracting from a national reputation is suspect now, I fear.

They are everywhere

It's ukaz #60, an internet regulation in Belarus. It's different from the Russian regulation about storing user's data in the country and it confirms the countries progress in regulating new areas, like internet, independently. Everyone looks at everyone's experience, but it's not like one country is a playground for another.

You should read about the Bahamas, the USA playground for cell phone full take interception and then revise your comment. Just because you think things don't exist doesn't mean you're right.