PARIS – The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is calling on its members to ensure that the Internet is kept open.
The global think tank, which counts Canada amongst its 34 members, released The Principles for Internet Policy Making on Wednesday, building on the framework that it released in June. Using what it calls “the multi-stakeholder environment”, the OECD urged governments and stakeholders to work together to achieve international public policy goals and strengthen international cooperation in Internet governance.
“Private sector initiatives and co-regulation by industry and government have in many cases facilitated access to the Internet and promoted its use”, the organization said in a statement. “However there have been instances where relatively heavy-handed government initiatives have been viewed as leading to potential harm. For this reason it is important to have shared common principles to help policymakers set the parameters for any action taken, as well as work towards building trust in the Internet economy both at national levels as well as in cross-border economic activity, according to the text of the Principles”.
