Word has just come in from Bertrand that Registan.net is now being blocked in Uzbekistan, and that it is only accessible by proxy server. As far as we are aware, this is the first time that the Uzbek government has decided to block Registan.net, and it is unknown if this block is permanent or temporary.
I have long assumed that Registan.net has escaped blocking because it is only published in English, unlike neweurasia, which carries content in Uzbek and Russian. If I were to try to identify a direct cause, I would have to point here. I know that kind of stuff is not appreciated, and everything I bring the subject up, I get what one can politely call “colorful” comments.
I suppose that now is a fairly appropriate time to mention that the guide to safe blogging and online privacy that I wrote for neweurasia and Transitions Online which is available here in English, Russian, and Uzbek points readers in the direction of information on how to get around these blocks.
UDPATE: I took a look at my stats in Google Analytics. The service makes it quite simple to see where visitors are coming from. From March 7-13, about 3% of the site’s visitors were in Uzbekistan. Checking back on previous weeks, this is a pretty constant figure. (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan bring in about 2% each if anyone’s interested.) For the 14th and the 15th, those hits have disappeared.
When looking at visits from certain cities, Tashkent has been one of the biggest sources the past couple months. Washington, DC usually comes in at top, with Seattle in second place. In 2007, Tashkent comes in third, followed by Bishkek then Almaty. In the last quarter of 2006, Bishkek was ahead of Tashkent. London is next on the list.
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Congratulations. At least you’re sure now that the blog is being read and is not leaving people indifferent. LOL
Huh, no wonder! Censors are not sleeping on the job… and heartily learning english… holy shit!
I\’m old enough to remember when certain books and movies in the U.S. bannered the fact that they were \”banned in Boston,\” which would then lead to greater viewer and readership. It was sort of a badge of courage, not to mention a boon for publicity.
While I\’m not happy that Registan.net is now blocked in Uzbekistan, it is something of a badge of legitimacy. It is important, however, to understand that it has been, and hopefully will continue to be, a valuable resource for those who truly care (and there are only a few, but many are important).
Registan.net is a resource – one among many – for a lot of people. Those outside Uzbekistan can continue to access the site per normal. Those in Uzbekistan who now find the site blocked are for the most part people who know how to get around the GoU\’s inept attempt to, once again, keep their own population from hearing other views.
They won\’t, in the end, be successful, but they know no other way.
The good news is that sites like Registan.net not only pass information to certian commited people in Uzbekistan, but more importantly, to the world outside Uzbekistan.
For those who participate – by visiting and reading the site – and/or contributing to it, keep it up. Registan.net has an important readership, and, for the most part, contributor who know what they\’re talking about. That is a good thing.
That is a VERY good thing, and your audience will always find you.
Welcome aboard.
Wow, this is a big day. Go get yourself a cake Nathan, you’re now an official antagonizer/troublemaker/provocateur! Maybe if you ask nicely you can get the censors to send you a certificate that you can frame.
Congrats Nathan!:) Finally it’s blocked….That means Registan.net got attention and has become popular among Uzbek internet users or “information security” in Uzbekistan made one more progressive step.
By the way, I just checked out the guides at neweurasia. Did you make Uzbek translations by yourself? If yes, so it’s time to create an Uzbek version of Registan.net too. I would be glad to help you in this project. What do you think?
your student…
I wish I knew Uzbek that well!
We could still do an Uzbek version of Registan.net if you’d like though.
It will be interesting to see if you still get hits from Uzbekistan. When I was there last year, I found that, for example, I couldn’t access Human Rights Watch, while others could. I think the blocking tools may be somewhat random….
Our Google Analytics from last July onwards shows no hits from Uzbekistan at all. I am afraid that the Uzbek authorities have become a little cleverer in their blocking techniques.
Sorry to hear this.
why don’t you just set-up automatic syndication of all your posts on LiveJournal, Blogger, Wordpress.com — then to block your blog, they will need to blog every individual blog service, which I don’t think is likely–and even if it is, the international outcry will be much stronger.
Ok, then I will start translating whatever is posted here into Uzbek and you will help me to upload that translations to the site. What do you think, is it better an Uzbek version to be in cyrillic or latin? I will write you an email soon. Cuz I don’t have a regular internet access here, I have to use library comp lab.
Hi Nathan, Just checking in. Congratulations on getting blocked. It means people are reading Registan and taking it seriously. Hope Student does a good job in translation to Uzbek–might I suggest Cyrillic for Russian as well? There were lots of Russian-speakers in Tashkent who did not have such perfect Uzbek? Hits from anonymized servers used by Central Asians wouldn’t show up as coming from Uzbekistan, of course, so my guess is that you’ll still get through–also I would think that an EMAIL service, automated subscriptions, might be difficult to block?
Laurence is correct. Hits coming from proxy servers will not show up as being from Uzbekistan. By definition they will show up as being from some other country.
Hey, Reporters Without Borders is reporting about your reporting problems in Uzbekistan:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21348
Congrats you worried them enough I guess.
You pissed them off. Cool!!!!!
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