Govt to set up IMG on Internet governance

An Inter-Ministerial group on Internet governance will shortly be set up, a government official on Wednesday said.

An Inter-Ministerial group on Internet governance will shortly be set up, a government official on Wednesday said.

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"We are forming an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) so that all concerned to Internet governance views are taken and a consensus can be made up...it will be formed in a few weeks time," Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY) senior director Govind said during a discussion on Internet governance.

The IMG will comprise of all the concerned ministries, including the Department of Telecommunications.

India, through a proposal to UN General Assembly has sought creation of a UN committee on Internet-related policies (CIRP) for Internet governance.

The proposal was put forth at the UN Commission for Science and Technology Development in May and is a reiteration of the statement made in the UN General Assembly in October last year, minister of state for communications and IT Sachin Pilot had said.

The move, however, evoked strong criticism from many corners as being equivalent of Internet censorship.

Internet governance is broadly considered as development and application of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

DeitY is already engaged in discussions with representatives from civil society, advocacy groups and industry associations on the proposal.