Netizens in Belarus will now have to pay a fine any time they visit a foreign website, according to a new law that is going into effect on Friday, Jan.6.
Foreign businesses selling goods or services in Belarus will also have to adopt the country’s .by domain name, reported the BBC. Massive corporations like Amazon and Best Buy will not be able to sell goods to Belarusians unless they follow the country’s procedures.
Owners of Internet cafes will be fined if their patrons visit foreign websites and are not properly reported and recorded, the broadcaster says.
Dubbed “the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe” by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Belarus has been ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. Lukashenko has been accused of violating the rights of opposition figures; and the United States and European Union have placed asset freezes and travel bans on him and many other top officials.
Belarus has also set up a system for filtering “extremist” and “pornographic” websites, according to the BBC.
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