Rights
Every Tenth Bulgarian has Never Accessed the Internet
In 2023, 88.5% of households in Bulgaria have access to the Internet in their homes, according to a study by the National Statistical Institute (NSI). From there, they report a growth of 31.8% for the last 10 years. However, just over 10% of Bulgarians have never accessed the Internet.
Bulgarian Journalists Boycott the Ministry of Finance’s Absurd Requirements for Accreditation
Bulgarian journalists are boycotting the absurd demands placed on them by the Ministry of Finance headed by Asen Vassilev.
In an open letter to Minister Vassilev, with which the Association of European Journalists stands in solidarity with reporters and editors, it is stated:
"Dear Mr. Minister,
Bosnia CSOs Warn that New FOI Bill Will Limit Citizens’ Rights
A group of 20 civil society organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, gathered in the Initiative for Monitoring European Integration, has issued a warning on "the shortcomings of the Draft Law on Freedom of Access to Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina," which Bosnia's state-level government, the Council of Ministers, adopted on April 12.
Freedom of Information in Balkans Still ‘On Paper Only’, Panel Hears
Freedom of Information, FOI, Laws in the Western Balkans are over a decade old. Even though almost all countries monitored by BIRN have laws that are considered well-written, their value is often only on paper, speakers from the region told BIRN's panel discussion, "Freedom of Information in the Balkans: Calls Not Answered".
Türkiye’s digital quality of life improves slightly
Türkiye has improved by two positions in Surfshark's Digital Quality of Life Index regarding digital wellbeing, rising from 54th to 52nd out of 117 countries.
Out of the five fundamental digital life pillars, Türkiye's best is for e-government (39th) and the worst score is for internet quality (ranking 69th globally).
UK: Cineworld pulls film on Prophet Muhammad’s daughter after hundreds of Muslims protest (videos-photos)
A shameful decision against freedom of expression
Official warns against internet ‘addiction’
Turks are spending nearly eight hours on the internet that is more than the world average, Ali Taha Koç, head of the Turkish Presidency's Digital Transformation Office, has said.
"Data from We are Social for the first quarter of this year showed our addiction to the internet. According to data, Turks spend seven hours and 57 minutes on the internet," he noted.
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Bulgaria Ranks 85th in Digital Quality of Life Globally
Bulgaria ranked 85th, according to a study assessing the digital quality of life worldwide. This year the survey covers 90% of the world's population and rtes110 countries, looking at five main pillars of digital life: accessibility and quality of the Internet, e-infrastructure, e-security and e-government, according to BGNES
Mobile data usage and number of texts sent increase y/y
Ljubljana – Slovenian mobile network users sent almost 574 million SMS messages in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 4% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, mobile broadband users downloaded more than 56 million gigabytes of data, which is 26% more than last year.
Freedom of Information in Balkans: ‘No Will, No Optimism’
The region needs more proactive transparency, open contracting and political will to deal with freedom of information, FOI, speakers from the region and internationally told BIRN's panel discussion Platform B: Freedom of Information in the Balkans, held on Thursday.