Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 2 July (BelTA) – The right to privacy and protection of private life will remain fundamental principles of Belarus’ policy, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at the solemn meeting in the run-up to the Independence Day on 1 July, BelTA has learnt.

“We in Belarus do not seek to control the private life of our residents. More than that, the right to privacy and protection of private life have been and will be fundamental principles of our policy. We will not let other countries do it (violate the right to privacy of Belarusians - BelTA’s note). This is how we show our commitment to true democratic values, and, most importantly, our respect for human dignity,” the President said.

The head of state noted that new information technologies and the Internet offer not only great opportunities, but also pose a direct threat to the sovereignty of countries and individuals. There is proof to that. “The United States backed by leading hi-tech corporations are building an unprecedented system of total surveillance and control,” Alexander Lukashenko said. If things go as they are going, in a couple of years there will be no place on the Earth where an ordinary person will have some privacy. Each move, action, preference will be recorded by ubiquitous electronic devices. “It seemed unreal yesterday. But today we see that this will become our reality tomorrow,” the head of state noted.

“I have been often criticized for calling the United States a modern dictatorship. We have never wanted to offend or hurt this great country. But are the attempts to create a global surveillance network not the sign of ambitions to establish dictatorship and totalitarianism? And not only on the part of the United States, as we have recently seen,” had the President said.