Let's go back just one month (December 1996) before the 1997 Inaugural Address to Belgrade, when President Milosevic tried to shut down the independent news media and spawned a technological revolt he could not control.

One radio station that was shut down by the government (B92) used the two days to begin digital broadcasts in Serbo-Coatian and English over audio Internet links. The B92 website took the lead in reporting protests and abuses by the police and military.

Instead of silencing the protests, the government forced protestors to develop a whole new technology to survive. In an attempt to stop the use of the Internet, government official ordered the deans of Belgrade University to stop students from using computers to access the Web and send email. The order was ignored.

In an effort to protect themselves, Serbian protestors devised a plan in case of governmental attempts to cut Internet lines. In the spirit of the more traditional street protest, thousands of electronic "eggs" (messages sent over the Internet) were set to be thrown at government fax machines.

Recently, the Serbian parliament enacted new laws attempting to severely restrict the independent news media and freedom of expression. The Internet servers of the universities, which were centeres of the 1996 and 97 demonstrations, are now required to block access to online news media

The B-92 website is alive and well and is now one of the main sites carrying up-to-date information on Serbia.