"The Internet must remain plural. It must be managed by multi-layer and multi-stakeholder system," Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a video addressed to the meeting of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that started yesterday in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In the written comments to ICANN over transition of Internet management, India has said that the new proposal runs the risk of placing complete reliance on internal accountability mechanisms within ICANN as the principle of external accountability is absent from it.
It has been assigned the task to manage Internet by the US Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under a contract, which expires on September 30.
NTIA has decided to step out of its role of ICANN overseer after the contract expires and it be managed by global community and work is in progress to set rules on who should manage Internet post September 30.
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India has said that under new transition, the body managing Internet should have "accountability towards governments" in areas where "governments have primary responsibility, such as security and similar public policy concerns."
India has also raised concerns over jurisdiction in case there is any dispute among people affected by Internet.
According to Internet expert Arun Sukumar, revelation by whistle-blower Edwared Snowden highlighted misuse of Internet control by US government and concerns of India on security ground is thus valid.
He added that the function of the Domain Name System, which ICANN manages, is the backbone of the Internet and no government should have control over its resources.