At a time when the U.S. has accused Russia of using internet disruptions as part of its increasing attacks on Ukraine, the U.S. and 55 other countries signed a political commitment on Thursday to advocate for internet standards based on democratic values.
The "Declaration for the Future of the Internet," the first of its kind, protects human rights, promotes the free flow of information, protects users' privacy, and establishes rules for a growing global digital economy, among other measures for preventing what two Biden administration officials called a "dangerous new model" of internet policy from countries like Russia and China.
According to the officials, the U.S. is witnessing a global trend of rising digital authoritarianism, with countries like Russia repressing freedom of expression, suppressing independent news sites, getting involved with elections, spreading false information, and depriving their citizens of other human rights.
"Look at what Russia is doing, some of the moves China is doing," one of the officials said. "I think we see this as a response to these kinds of 'splinternet' tendencies by a lot of authoritarian countries around the world," referring to the internet splintering and separating owing to a variety of issues, including politics.
Since entering Ukraine, Russia has launched cyberattacks, including a hack into a satellite internet provider's network at the commencement of the operation. According to government sources, the new initiative is not an attempt to prevent cyber warfare.
The declaration is a refined version of the White House's efforts last year to unite a coalition of democracies around a vision for free and open internet.
It lays out how the countries might work together to achieve a common vision while remaining within their separate jurisdictions and laws.
Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine are among the countries that have joined the United States.
Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, will begin the effort remotely at the White House on Thursday.
In an information sheet, the White House stated that in signing the Declaration, the U.S. and its partners will work together to promote this vision and its principles globally.
They also added that over the last year, the U.S. has worked with partners from around the world, including civil society, industry, academia, and other stakeholders, to reaffirm the vision of an open, free, global, interoperable, dependable, and secure internet and reverse unfavorable trends.
