Future of the Internet Debated at NetMundial in Brazil

Following reports that the US National Security Agency had monitored her phone calls and emails, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff organized a meeting to analyze internet governance. Brazil's secretary for Information Technology Policy urges shared global responsibility. “Ahead of NetMundial's start, Brazil's Senate has unanimously passed the Marco Civil - a law that enshrines freedom of expression on the web, the right to privacy and the principle of net neutrality,” reports Leo Kelion for BBC News. The United States in the meantime has offered to give up its civilian control of how net addresses are distributed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and pass it on to a global group by September 2015. China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan want the United Nations to manage the internet, while the United States and other western nations are opposed. Many parties are concerned about vague rules; human rights group warn about government control as well as balkanization, commercialization and surveillance undermining the global communications system. – YaleGlobal