The United States, France and more than 50 countries are committed to a free Internet

Audio 01:01

The charter, dubbed "Declaration for the Future of the Internet", aims to strengthen democracy, protect privacy and promote a free global economy (photo illustration).

© AP/Damian Dovarganes

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The United States and 55 other countries launched a joint initiative on April 28 to ensure a safe and free internet.

With the signing of this charter called "Declaration for the future of the internet", the Biden administration wants to bring together as many countries as possible around a common vision of what the web of tomorrow should be.

Advertisement

Read more

The “Declaration for the Future of the Internet” contains more than 20 “principles”.

In this charter

, the signatories undertake, among other things, to strengthen online democracy by agreeing not to close access to the Internet.

The more than 60 participating countries – including Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Kenya and Ukraine – promise not to use algorithms to illegally spy on citizens and not to conduct disinformation campaigns to influence elections.

“Alongside more than 50 partners, the United States today launched the Declaration for the Future of the Internet, a commitment to promote an open Internet, for the benefit of people everywhere.

- The @SecBlinken #FutureoftheInternet pic.twitter.com/FwLtGCIXZg

— USA in French (@USAenFrancais) April 28, 2022

Russia and China singled out

This initiative is intended as a counterweight to the worrying rise of major authoritarian powers, where access to digital information is restricted.

The stakes are high, explains the White House.

Since it is a question of pushing back “

the growing digital authoritarianism

”, which China and Russia are demonstrating in particular.

Joe Biden's teams worked for several months to develop this charter.

Since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine

, "

 Russia has aggressively promoted disinformation at home and abroad, censored internet news sources, blocked or shut down legitimate sites and went so far as to physically attack the internet infrastructure in Ukraine 

,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters.

The new charter concocted by Washington already shows its limits: it is non-binding and countries like India, Indonesia or Brazil have not signed it.

American defenders of a free internet expect Joe Biden above all to reverse the decision, taken under the presidency of Donald Trump, to end net neutrality.

The president is committed to it.

But his nominations for the positions on the Federal Communications Commission are still blocked in the Senate.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • United States

  • Internet

  • Digital