The policies governing the internet have been fiercely debated in the recent past and the likes of Russia are adamant on having them changed. This is because, no single government effectively controls the internet at present. But many governments want to change that in an upcoming ITU conference which Google has now criticized.
Russia is spear-heading the group of such governments who want to take back the control of internet, at least as far as the domestic internet within its territories is concerned. These governments want such control so that they can censor what they want and when they want.
Google rightly points this out on its “Take Action“campaign, “Some proposals could permit governments to censor legitimate speech – or even allow them to cut off internet access. Other proposals would require services like YouTube, Facebook, and Skype to pay new tolls in order to reach people across borders. This could limit access to information – particularly in emerging markets.”
The second concern that Google cites above is that if countries get effective control over the internet infrastructure as well as the ability to implement policies of their liking, they can force website to pay a ‘toll tax’ for getting traffic from that country.
It would become a nightmare for the users who would be at the mercy of these governments to access internet. Google offers a viable alternative, “Governments alone should not determine the future of the Internet. The billions of people around the globe that use the Internet, and the experts that build and maintain it, should be included. For example, at the Internet Governance Forum, anyone can attend and anyone can speak — a government official has the same influence as an individual.”
If you think that internet should remain free from the hegemony of the governments and that non-profit organizations and companies which form a critical part of the internet as well the users should get to decide what internet policies to enact, add your voice to the Google Take Action campaign.
Source: Google
Courtesy: BBC
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