Georgia

Overview

Georgia has only within the last decade emerged from years of political and economic instability, and as a result, its ICT infrastructure is somewhat underdeveloped. Internet access and freedom, however, are trending in positive directions—the vast majority of the country now has access to electricity from the national grid and Internet and broadband penetration rates have grown steadily in recent years. Currently, content controls and media restrictions online are not seen as a huge issue in the country but stark differences exist between urban and rural communities in terms of general Internet access and general ability to engage in the country’s larger political system and economy.

Access

Cost and infrastructure development remain significant barriers to access for poorer citizens, especially those in rural communities. High costs and lack of Internet infrastructure prevent some of those who own computers from having Internet access. Cyber cafes are available for public use in cities, but are often small and have long wait times. More recently, cafes, restaurants and other public spaces in urban areas have begun to offer wifi.

Control

There are currently no laws in place that regulate or outlaw specific forms of online content, but the government has take occasional action to regulate online content. In 2011, for instance, the government banned the Hollywood-produced film on the Russian-Georgian war, “5 Days of War,” from torrenting and download sites. Blog posts on the film, as well as some sites unrelated to the film, were also removed.

Activity

Due to Georgia’s low Internet penetration rate, the Internet is not yet a regular part of the average citizen’s day. Access and use, however, are trending upward. Social media networks are popular in the country, with journalists and citizens using the platforms to exchange information and discuss events. Seventy percent of Internet users report using social networking sites frequently, with Facebook and YouTube among the most popular sites in the country. Georgia also has an active blogosphere. Some Georgian bloggers post in Russian in order to engage with Russian-speaking users inside and outside of the country, and recently, the Georgian government has begun to invite prominent Russian bloggers to the country on sponsored tours. In 2012, many Georgian netizens marked Defender of the Fatherland Day by targeting then Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s Facebook page, calling for troop withdrawal from the region. After flooding the Facebook page with comments, Georgian users later reported that the Facebook page was unavailable in the country. When it came back online, many of the comments had been deleted.

Cost and infrastructure development remain significant barriers to access for poorer citizens, especially those in rural communities. High costs and lack of Internet infrastructure prevent some of those who own computers from having Internet access. Cyber cafes are available for public use in cities, but are often small and have long wait times. More recently, cafes, restaurants and other public spaces in urban areas have begun to offer wifi.

There are currently no laws in place that regulate or outlaw specific forms of online content, but the government has take occasional action to regulate online content. In 2011, for instance, the government banned the Hollywood-produced film on the Russian-Georgian war, “5 Days of War,” from torrenting and download sites. Blog posts on the film, as well as some sites unrelated to the film, were also removed.

Due to Georgia’s low Internet penetration rate, the Internet is not yet a regular part of the average citizen’s day. Access and use, however, are trending upward. Social media networks are popular in the country, with journalists and citizens using the platforms to exchange information and discuss events. Seventy percent of Internet users report using social networking sites frequently, with Facebook and YouTube among the most popular sites in the country. Georgia also has an active blogosphere. Some Georgian bloggers post in Russian in order to engage with Russian-speaking users inside and outside of the country, and recently, the Georgian government has begun to invite prominent Russian bloggers to the country on sponsored tours. In 2012, many Georgian netizens marked Defender of the Fatherland Day by targeting then Russian President Dimitry Medvedev’s Facebook page, calling for troop withdrawal from the region. After flooding the Facebook page with comments, Georgian users later reported that the Facebook page was unavailable in the country. When it came back online, many of the comments had been deleted.