UN Internet meet begins: US set to oppose new restrictions

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A major US delegation is in Dubai to lead opposition to possible new Internet regulations at a UN conference. The conference has begun today. The UN’s International Telecommunications Union hopes to reach a broad consensus to revise codes not updated since 1988 — before the Internet became a key part of global communications. According this BBC report, Google has warned the event threatened the “open internet”, while the EU said the current system worked, adding: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Each of the 193 nations at the 11-day meeting can propose regulatory changes. Organisers say the gathering will focus on issues such as Web security and expanding Internet services in developing countries. [caption id=“attachment_543130” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AP[/caption] But Internet companies, rights groups and some governments fear that the conference, which opens Monday, could bring rules that countries such as China and Russia would use to justify tighter Web restrictions and monitoring. The 123-member US delegation includes envoys from tech giants such as Google Inc and Microsoft Corp. With inputs from AP