There are a number of problems in the field of information security in Armenia today, and one of the biggest problems is that we do not know what information security is, according to Grigori Saghyan, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Internet Society NGO. 

We need a definition of information security

During the discussion on "Issues of Information Security" held within the 7th Armenian Conference on Internet Governance ArmIGF-2022 in Yerevan, he noted that today Armenia mainly uses the Russian definition, which defines information security as the security of citizens, society and state, the sense of the situation.

"This approach does not allow us to treat the issue professionally, and our entire daily life becomes information security. In 2017, we managed to adopt a concept that was signed by President Serzh Sargsyan, where the concept of cybersecurity appeared for the first time as well. But when Armenia became a parliamentary republic, we don't know the status of presidential decrees, now there is no such concept," the expert noted.

According to him, it's necessary to provide correct and competent concept, as well as proper definitions. They already exist in the world, you only have to use them.

The second problem, according to the expert, is that, speaking of information security, we use the concept of radio and television, while the European countries use the concept of audio-visual information, which also regulates YouTube and other sources of information.

According to David Margaryan, Head of the Legal Support and Licensing Department of Armenia, the first steps on the second problem have been made and the law "On Audiovisual Media" will be in force in Armenia from 2020. However, there are a number of related problems that need to be solved.

Problems can get worse if we do not talk about them

According to ArmSec Foundation director Samvel Martirosyan, there are several problems facing Armenia today.

"One of them is that legislative norms are fragmentary, that is, they do not proceed from any common understanding. On many issues nothing is done at all, and on other issues, on the contrary, there is state intervention, which is actually illegal. To all this, of course, there is an explanation, but everything has its own rules and regulations.

For example, if you try to access some Azerbaijani media outlets from your phone, you won't succeed because they are blocked by Armenia. Some time ago, the social network TikTok was blocked, and not by all mobile operators.

The justifications for these decisions are never voiced, and there is virtually no law in Armenia that allows blocking certain sites in the absence of a martial law or state of emergency. Those sites are closed under unexplained circumstances, and another one is opened, for which no explanation is given. I should be able to sue the internet operators for restricting my access.”

According to Martirosyan, the state is a structure that can allow arbitrary steps, but this must be balanced by the judiciary, which is the least trusted body in Armenia.

The other balancing party is civil society, which, however, does not raise the issue.

"If the issue is not raised, if it is considered normal, something can be blocked tomorrow, which is not bad, but someone does not like it," the expert said.

According to Samvel Martirosyan, the problem is also the lack of regulation of the cryptocurrency sphere.

"The cash flow from cryptocurrency exchanges is blocked in Armenian banks. The reason is that there is no regulation, and banks have imposed penalties to avoid unnecessary problems. In other words, we find ourselves in some area where some gray areas have been created, where there are no regulations, but there are movements of the [state] body through different structures. And all this is not raised, which can lead to deepening of the problems," said the expert.