Welcome to Net Prophet, a blog tracking new media and tech developments across Central Europe and Eurasia
Georgia places high for net freedom, but some problems remain
Georgia’s Internet is generally free from government censorship, the newly published Transparency International Georgia’s report says. Last year, there was not a single case reported of websites blockages; nor were any bloggers or other online activists questioned arrested for their online activities, as it often happens in the neighboring countries. Read More »
YouTube sues Russian authorities over video ban
YouTube is suing the Russian consumer rights agency over a new law that restricts content, RIA Novosti reports. Read More »
In Belarus, gadgets gadgets everywhere nor any freedom to tweet
Perhaps you saw the funny quote in my news feed on Facebook that read: "This country looks like a post-apocalyptic world. Everyone has got gadgets, phones, and tablets - and around you see broken roads and loads of waste". Read More »
Azerbaijan puts first satellite into orbit
Azerbaijan successfully launched its first telecommunications satellite into orbit on 7 February.
Read More »
Facebook stonewalls Yandex’s social search app
Yandex’s social search app has been shut down, for now. Read More »
Russian Orthodox Church looks to salvation online
The Russian Orthodox Church is looking to improve its web presence after Patriarch Kirill voiced his concern over church’s reputation on the Internet. Read More »
Russia shutters more than 90 sites over child pornography
More than 90 Russian-registered websites have been shut down since January for content containing child pornography, according to a 4 February announcement by the Interpol National Central Bureau, RIA Novosti reports. Read More »
Yandex to expand its technological horizons
Internet giant Yandex has become the first Russian company to get access to the vast databases of the influential Swiss European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). Read More »
That startup fever
Vladimir Funtikov, a 26-year-old Estonian businessman, already has behind him successful studies at university and the launch of several small technology companies, including Creative Mobile, which produces games for smart phones. Now he’s come up with a crazy idea: playing on cell phones should be taught as a subject at university because, among other reasons, his company – with offices in Tallinn, St. Petersburg, New York, and London employing 60 people – can’t find enough skilled developers and programmers. Read More »
Russia hopes to get tough on cyber attacks
The Russian government has announced plans to beef up the state’s cyber security. Although specifics of the plan have yet to be laid out, the Kremlin has said it’s first step will be to consolidate authority for fighting the problem under the nation’s internal security agency. Read More »
Hackers break into official Uzbek TV site to highlight media propaganda
Uzbeks visiting the state-run broadcaster’s official website on 30 January got a surprise: a short message reading, “The news you spread are lies!” The proclamation was the product of hackers who disabled the site then posted the message, RFE/RL reported. Read More »
Hackers warn Turkmenistan cybersecurity dreadfully low
On January 25th, the database of nic.tm, the domain name registrar responsible for all .tm domain names, was breached. The full database of usernames and passwords was posted on the hackers' website ha.cker.ir. Read More »
Roscosmos aims for Mars and plans to build on moon
With Mars on the mind, Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced plans for manned bases on the moon.
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Krugman-Ilves Twitter war lives on in song
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings—or, in this case, the bow-tied president and the Nobel Prize-winning professor.
A quarrel between Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and American economist Paul Krugman over Estonia’s alleged “economic triumph” that erupted on Twitter last June has been transformed into a short operatic piece, reports Agence France Presse. Read More »
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More from Transitions Online- Russia Gets Tough on Blasphemy and Rails at Lost Eurovision VotesPlus, more politicians face corruption charges in Georgia and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan hangs a “closed” sign at Manas airbase. […]
- Belarus’ Accidental CrusaderIrina Khalip learned quickly that just being a journalist was not an option in her country. […]
- Russia Launches Public TV, Romanian Soccer Boss JailedPlus, more bloodshed in the North Caucasus and a sweet solution to Croatia's land mine problem. […]
- What is Normal?The 2008 crisis forced the foreign managers of companies to rethink much of what they had assumed about the post-communist region. […]
- Russia Shocked by Orphanage Violence, Gay Rights Ralliers Beaten Back in Georgia, RussiaPlus, new polls spell trouble for Poland’s center-right government, and a long-delayed dam hangs over a Georgian village. […]
- Kazakhstan Shrugs Off Human Rights ConcernsEconomics count for more than rights, and Western governments have little leverage anyway. From IWPR. […]
- Bulgaria’s Leading Party Demands Vote Rerun, Amnesty Slams Ukraine on Gay RightsPlus, Bucharest flouts the EU with new anti-corruption appointments and police in the Balkans nab human traffickers. Police swoop down on human traffickers in Bosnia and Croatia Bosnian and Croatian law enforcement authorities have collaborated in an organized crackdown on human trafficking, Reuters reports. Police in Croatia arrested 25 suspects and were […]
- Moldova's Pesticide Time BombTwo decades after the Soviet Union’s collapse, the country is still struggling with thousands of tons of chemicals, some leaking and unguarded. […]
- Russia Gets Tough on Blasphemy and Rails at Lost Eurovision Votes
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About Us
Net Prophet is a blog supported by Transitions Online tracking new media and tech developments across Central Europe and Eurasia.
Transitions Online is an online magazine that covers political, social, cultural, and economic issues in the former communist countries of Europe and Central Asia. The magazine has a strong network of local contributors, who provide valuable insight into events in the region’s 29 countries.
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Recent Posts
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Elva, crowd-sourcing conflict in the South Caucasus
May 22, 2013 -
Karimova gets schooled in Twitter debate
May 17, 2013 -
Hungary: Government limits FOIA transparency law
May 10, 2013 -
U.S. calls Ukraine the pirate king
May 8, 2013 -
Azerbaijan legislating civil web discourse
May 3, 2013
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© 2011 Transitions Online. All rights reserved. ISSN 1214-1615
