Interfax: Moscow backs idea of Internet’s international regulation – Lavrov

KYIV. Dec 5 (Interfax) – Moscow supports the idea of the Internet’s international regulation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“I think our organization should think about its role in ensuring the people’s rights in cyberspace,” Lavrov said at a ministerial session of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Kyiv on Thursday.

“This concerns the problem of the Internet on the whole,” Lavrov said.

“We call for its international regulation. We explain our position to those who oppose this. For instance, we can’t understand why radio frequencies are distributed by the International Telecommunication Union, while world Internet domain names are assigned by the California-based corporation ICANN controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce,” Lavrov said.

“In fact, the Internet is not a mass media outlet, as are press, radio and TV outlets, where an editorial office serves as a mediator between a journalist and the audience and, hence, the editorial office bears responsibility for its informational product and everyone knows where this editorial office can be found,” Lavrov said.

“As for the Internet, it is a global business project and a means of communication, through which the content author and consumer communicate directly,” he said.