Internet governance: Dubai meet begins today

BANGALORE, INDIA: In a few hours, representatives from over 193 countries will meet at the World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai to discuss the internet governance laws.

A lot has been discussed about what's acceptable on the Internet. Now, there is a petition by the inventor of the world wide web Vint Cerf, VP and Chief Internet Evangelist, to support a free and open Internet. You can join him in his mission here.  

In his petition he says: "Starting in 1973, when my colleagues and I proposed the technology behind the Internet, we advocated for an open standard to connect computer networks together. This wasn't merely philosophical; it was also practical." From the beginning Cerf's team has avoided lock-in system and allowed for contributions from many sources. "Because it is borderless and belongs to everyone, it has brought unprecedented freedoms to billions of people worldwide: the freedom to create and innovate, to organize and influence, to speak and be heard," he says.

At the 12-day conference in Dubai, the countries will deliberate the regulatory norms of the Internet. Some countries want to limit the global regulatory powers of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers -- or ICANN. With the pervasive information network providing freedom of speech, there has been mixed reactions to the way internet is being governed. The conference aims to reach consensus among the 193 ITU member states on updating the 1988 International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) governing international telecommunications. ITU is the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations specialized agency.

It is to be seen if the conference will divide the world into two- One supporting the internet freedom and the other backing ITU as the governing body.