Google has started an
online campaign ahead of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
regulatory conference next month, calling on internet users to sign a petition
supporting a 'free and open' internet.
Google said some governments
are trying to use the 'closed-door' meeting to 'increase censorship and
regulate the internet'.
The ITU conference in
Dubai will discuss the International Telecommunication Regulations, a
multilateral treaty governing international telecommunication issues such as
interconnection and interoperability.
Each country that is a
member of the ITU may send a delegation. Google said governments alone should
not be allowed to direct the future of the internet, and the billions of
internet users should have a say in the matter.
It also termed the ITU
'secretive' as the proposals at the conference are confidential. At the same
time as building up public interest, Google is participating in the US
government's delegation to the conference.
The company has four
representatives in the 94-member delegation, the most of any company. Other
companies participating include AT&T, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft and Verizon.
The International
Telecommunication Union, previously the International Telegraph Union, is a
specialised agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information
and communication technologies.
ITU coordinates the
shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in
assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure
in the developing world, and establishes worldwide standards.
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