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Brazil’s Rousseff calls for more “democratic and transparent” internet

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has spoken at the beginning of a global conference in Sao Paulo on how to govern a safer, less US centred internet. She convened the two day meeting following revelations that she and other world leaders were spied on by the US National Security Agency. Rousseff set the tone of the conference by signing a new bill into law safeguarding the rights of Internet users. “Brazil believes that the governing of the internet should be multi-sector, democratic and transparent. We consider the multilateral model to be the best way to govern it,” said Rousseff. Government officials, industry executives and academics attending the conference are expected to agree on the principles of how to run the internet, however the meeting’s resolutions are non-binding. The inventor of the World Wide Web said: “Net neutrality means keeping the net free from discrimination, be it commercial or political. The innovative explosion, which happened across the net over the last 25 years has happened only because the net has been neutral.” Dilma Rousseff has hailed US President Barack Obama’s decision to take control away from ICANN, a California-based non-profit organisation that has until now coordinated internet domains or addresses. A new international body that has yet to be decided on will now carry out this role as of September 2015.