New Government-Run Social Network Set Up In Uzbekistan

A new government-run social network has been set up in Uzbekistan. Davra is the 38th state-run social networking site to have been set up by the Uzbek government, as it tries to clamp down on foreign sites by launching its own domestic alternatives. However, many fear that the government-run sites are being set up to spy on users' online activities and to try to spot potential dissidents against the government regime. Uzbekistan was classed as “Not Free” by a recent report by Freedom House, which concluded that government-run telecoms companies were frequently “blocking access to the websites of foreign news organisations, human rights groups, and exile publications”. Uzbekistan has an internet penetration rate of around 40%, equivalent to almost 13 million people. 

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