NETmundial 2014: Towards Reform of Global Internet Governance

The revelations  made by the former NSA contractor Edward Snowden changed concerns of the business leaders across the world over the reliability of storing the data over the cloud and about  privacy of the internet.

According to the latest survey, Many leaders around the world especially from Brazil and Germany strongly reacted and expressed anger over the paranormal activity over the internet carried out by the USA in the name of surveillance.

But India -the third-largest Internet community with 220 million users remains silent observer at the time of revelation came along, now India diplomatically push its  new proposal to renaming the “Internet” to “Equinet,” bolstering its move to decentralize the operations of the World Wide Web in the table of at the Global Multi-stakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 23 and 24. Also called NETmundial, the global meeting where crafting internet governance principles and proposing a road-map for further evolution of a governance ecosystem.

More than 800 representatives around the world participated in the debate about the future of Internet. In this occasion, Brazil president signed a new law “Bill of rights” for the digital age that aims to protect online privacy and promote the Internet as a public utility at a first day of the global conference on the future of Internet governance. These new law forces service provider’s needs to develop a new protocol to encrypt the communication happen between sender and receiver. Also its “net neutrality” clause “fundamental to maintaining the Internet’s free and open nature.”

The NETmundial final declaration states, internet governance principle should be transparent, distributed and collaborative manner with the enrollment of multiple stakeholder approach. The accountable mechanism needed to conduct independent checks and balances as well as for review and redress should exist. This will provide space to individual to create their own path and use widely available tools without fear.

The most expected point surveillance insisted only lighter way in this discussions, simply emphasized such practices need to be in accordance with international human rights law. This leads too many civil society groups expressed disappointment for not mentioning the clear stand the Mass surveillance. Russia and Cuba expressed not adhered the declaration because non-transparency in overall process. Similarly India takes decision whether to adhere the declaration after consult with Indian community.

Raman Azhahia Manavalan

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