Responsibility for social media
Posting information on your social media page (Facebook, Instagram, The Contacts, Twitter, Classmates, etc.) or commenting on someone's posts, it is important to remember what information is prohibited according to Belarusian legislation!
- A person’s private information and personal data.
Information about private life and personal data of an individual can be distributed only with his written consent. Such information includes, for example, personal and family secrets, the secrecy of telephone conversations, mail and other communications concerning a person’s state of health. Thus, by posting on the Internet, for example, a screenshot of correspondence or photographs of documents containing personal data of a citizen, check whether it may be necessary to obtain his written consent.
Pay your attention!
Illegal dissemination of private information without the consent, is punishable by community service or a fine, or arrest.
- Information constituting commercial, professional, banking and other protected secrets.
Persons who know secret information in the performance of their official duties may be responsible for its disclosure at the request of the victim or his legal representative.
Attention!
Administrative liability in the form of a fine in the amount of 4 to 20 base rates is provided for disclosure of commercial or other secrets protected by law.
In case when such information is disclosed deliberately and it causes damage to the organization, criminal liability is provided in the form of:
- penalty;
- prohibition of holding certain positions or of being engaged in a certain activity;
- arrest or imprisonment for a period of up to three years.
3. Slander
Slander is knowingly false, disgraceful to another person fabrication.
Pay your attention!
Distributing slander can lead to administrative liability in the form of a fine of up to 30 base rates.
The posting of libel information on the Internet is punishable by one of the following penalties:
- penalty;
- arrest;
- correctional labour for up to two years;
- restriction of liberty for up to three years.
4. Insults
Deliberate humiliation of a person, expressed in obscene form, posted by you on social networks can be recognized as an insult.
Attention!
Administrative liability is provided for insults in the form of a fine of up to 20 base rates.
In case of a deliberate insult, criminal liability is provided in the form of one of the following measures:
- public works;
- penalty;
- correctional labour for up to one year;
- restriction of liberty for up to two years.
- Promotion of violence and cruelty.
Belarusian legislation prohibits the distribution or advertisements, public displays of films and videos or other works promoting violence and cruelty.
Attention!
The dissemination of such information is subject to administrative liability in the form of a fine in the amount of 10 to 30 base rates with confiscation of the abovementioned works.
- Nazi symbols
To display, manufacture or distribute Nazi symbols or attributes, and to store or acquire such symbols or attributes for the purpose of dissemination, is possible only in exceptional cases, for example, theatre performances in accordance with the law, music, circus and fine arts, library affairs, film activities, museum affairs, publishing, educational activities, scientific activities, collection of cultural property, mass media (except propaganda of Nazi symbols or attributes).
Attention!
Propaganda or public display of Nazi symbols or attributes causes administrative liability in the form of one of the following measures:
- A fine of up to 10 base rates;
- administrative detention.
In both cases, the object of the administrative offence will be confiscated, and the instruments and means of production may also be confiscated.
- Information containing pornographic and/or erotic material
Such information includes images, videos or pornographic scenes and other pornographic items.
Attention!
The dissemination of pornographic material or objects of a pornographic nature using the Internet by a person who has reached the age of 18 is punishable by imprisonment for a term of two to four years.
- Information that can harm children 's health and development.
This information can have a negative impact on health, physical, moral, and spiritual development of children of a certain age category. This includes information that:
- Causes desire to consume alcoholic, low alcoholic beverages, beer, to consume narcotics, psychotropic substances, their analogues, toxic or other addictive substances, tobacco products;
Encourages the commission of crimes or other socially dangerous acts (prostitution, begging, vagrancy, gambling, etc.);
- Appreciates the crime or idealizes the criminals;
- Represents the abuse or humiliation of persons in connection with ethnic origin, national, racial, religious, linguistic, gender, beliefs or views, social status, disease;
Encourages habits contrary to healthy lifestyles;
- Contains pornographic and/or erotic materials;
- Contains obscene words and expressions.
Please, take into consideration that your social media accounts are a media tool as well, and you own them and therefore bear equal responsibility as representatives of the media and journalists!