Web Use Rises in Uzbekistan, But Not Turkmenistan

A meeting of Central Asian internet experts has heard that more and more web users are appearing in Uzbekistan despite tight state controls, while few people in Turkmenistan are aware of the internet, let alone being able to access it.

The annual Central Asian Internet Forum, held at the end of May in Almaty, Kazakstan, discussed the relative levels of internet penetration in the various regional states, and the extent to which freedom of expression is permitted.

Compared with Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, which have healthy, commercially viable internet sectors, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are a long way behind. There are two main reasons for this, the first being the paucity of non-state provider companies and the poor-quality and high cost of services.

The other factor is intrusive state control, including the blocking of foreign and other websites deemed undesirable by government.

The web statistics site Internetworldstats.com says that 27 per cent of Uzbekistan’s 28 million people have internet access, while in Turkmenistan it is just two per cent of a population of five million people.

The figure for Uzbekistan reflects a recent rapid rise in access by young people, driven by demand for social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, ICQ, and the Russian-language odnoklassniki.ru and vkontakte.ru.

Gulasal Kamolova, a freelance journalist and blogger from Bukhara in Uzbekistan, says many people are wary of state surveillance and prefer not to use .uz domain sites like Sinfdosh.uz, Vsetut.uz, ID.uz, Muloqot.uz, Myjobs.uz and My.OLAM.uz.

The Uzbek authorities have tried intermittently to curb access to foreign social media sites, particularly in 2011, when popular revolts in the Middle East and North Africa prompted a lively – and clearly unwelcome – debate about parallels with Central Asia. (See Uzbek Authorities Unnerved by Spiralling Web Use and  Uzbeks Denounce "Destructive" Web.)

Uzbekistan also has numerous news and other sites, but these studiously avoid anything controversial.

"They offer a mix of news and entertainment, much of it simply copied and pasted," media expert Sergei Naumov said. “They are distinguished for their lack of original content, and the number of unique visits rarely exceeds 2,000 or 3,000."

Naumov noted that on websites of this kind, there is – surprisingly – a little leeway for free expression.

"The administrators don’t delete caustic comments that readers leave under articles about child labour or the shortage of domestic gas," he said. “For Uzbekistan, that’s a phenomenon.”

The situation in Turkmenistan is considerably worse. Web development has consisted mainly of launching sites for government ministries and other state institutions. Aside from that, there are just 15 internet clubs in the country.

"Many of Turkmenistan’s citizens are still unaware of the internet’s role as an information and communication tool," IWPR editor Inga Sikorskaya told the internet forum in Almaty. "The lack of access to or interest in web is shown by an analysis of statistics for some of the local websites, where visits number between two and 23 at peak times.” 

This article was produced as part of News Briefing Central Asia output, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy.

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