Why global governance of the Internet?

Internet
governance is seen largely in terms of national
sovereignty and security or as pertaining to free
speech and privacy. We are of the view that there
exist many other equally important issues for
global Internet governance that arise from the
whole gamut of rights and aspirations of people –
social, economic, cultural, political and
developmental. The relationship of the global
Internet to cultural diversity is one example. The
Internet increasingly determines not only the
global flows of information but also of cultures,
and their commodification. No social process is
exempt from the influence of the Internet – from
education to health and governance. Social systems
at national and local levels are being transformed
under the influence of the global Internet.
Instead of decentralizing power, the current
structure of the global Internet tends to
centralize control in the hands of a small number
of companies. Some of these companies have
near-monopoly power over key areas of economic and
social significance. Therefore, regulation of
global Internet business through pertinent
competition law, consumer law, open
interoperability standards, etc, is becoming a
pressing need. Increasing statist controls need to
be similarly resisted. With the emergent paradigm
of cloud computing presenting the looming prospect
of remote management of our digital lives from
different 'power centres' across the world, it is
inconceivable that we can do without appropriate
democratic governance of the global Internet.
Post-Snowden, as many countries have begun to
contemplate and even embark upon measures for
'digital sovereignty', the only way to preserve a
global Internet is through formulating
appropriate global norms, principles and rules
that will underpin its governance.

Read the complete pdf document here

(Please write to //itfc @itforchange.net before
31st Aug if you will like to endorse this statement