ET BureauNEW DELHI: Union minister for communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad called for a open, plural and inclusive Internet and said that it should not become a monopoly of a few. Speaking at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) conference at Marrakech in Morocco, Prasad reiterated India's support for for the multi-stakeholder model for Internet governance.
He said that the entire architecture of internet governance is under transition and it is natural for India to support a multi-stakeholder model given the diversity in the country. "We hold firmly that internet is one of the finest creations of human mind and it should not become the monopoly of few. We instinctively value internet to be open, plural and inclusive and access should be without discrimination." He added that to ensure the stability of the Internet, it should also be made secure and governments have a very important role to play in this area.
"If Internet is one of the finest creations of human mind, it ought not be allowed to be abused by the few, to unleash terror and cybercrime through dark net and dark webs and other instruments," he said.
A new Internet governance model is being worked out through global consultation process and it is being coordinated by ICANN, which has been mandated by the US Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to manage the Internet under a contract, which expires on September 30.
NTIA has decided to step out of its role of ICANN overseer after the contract expires and it be managed by global community and work is in progress to set rules on who should manage Internet post September 30.
India has proposed that Internet should be managed through multi-stakeholder approach and the governments should have "supreme right and control" on matters relating to international security.
India in its submission has said under new transition, the body managing Internet should have "accountability towards governments" in areas where "governments have primary responsibility, such as security and similar public policy concerns."
Speaking at the conference, Prasad said, "Diversity of the representation should be ensured in the new architecture because developing and emerging economies are going to contribute the next billion internet users." He added that the government's priority is to create a robust digital infrastructure in India, and ensure "banking the unbanked", "funding the unfunded" , "securing the unsecured" and "pensioning the unpensioned".
(With Inputs from PTI)
He said that the entire architecture of internet governance is under transition and it is natural for India to support a multi-stakeholder model given the diversity in the country. "We hold firmly that internet is one of the finest creations of human mind and it should not become the monopoly of few. We instinctively value internet to be open, plural and inclusive and access should be without discrimination." He added that to ensure the stability of the Internet, it should also be made secure and governments have a very important role to play in this area.
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A new Internet governance model is being worked out through global consultation process and it is being coordinated by ICANN, which has been mandated by the US Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to manage the Internet under a contract, which expires on September 30.
NTIA has decided to step out of its role of ICANN overseer after the contract expires and it be managed by global community and work is in progress to set rules on who should manage Internet post September 30.
India has proposed that Internet should be managed through multi-stakeholder approach and the governments should have "supreme right and control" on matters relating to international security.
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India in its submission has said under new transition, the body managing Internet should have "accountability towards governments" in areas where "governments have primary responsibility, such as security and similar public policy concerns."
Speaking at the conference, Prasad said, "Diversity of the representation should be ensured in the new architecture because developing and emerging economies are going to contribute the next billion internet users." He added that the government's priority is to create a robust digital infrastructure in India, and ensure "banking the unbanked", "funding the unfunded" , "securing the unsecured" and "pensioning the unpensioned".
(With Inputs from PTI)
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