US ambassador: Russia's proposals for telecom treaty are 'shocking'

The proposals Russia submitted for a global telecommunications treaty being negotiated could allow governments to review content flowing over Internet networks and open the door for online censorship, said U.S. Ambassador Terry Kramer.

Kramer called Russia's submission of treaty language "the most shocking" out of all the proposals submitted by countries participating in the treaty conference. He said Russia's proposal aims to give governments more control over the management of the Internet and how Web traffic is routed, which he argued runs counter to the focus of the treaty conference. Kramer said Russia's proposal would let governments "review [Web] content and say that's purely a national matter," raising concerns over online censorship. He said the proposal would also disrupt the current governance structure of the Internet. Kramer the U.S. also takes issue with proposals from some African and Arab nations that would force Web companies — such as Google's YouTube or Netflix — to pay network operators to deliver their data-heavy Web content abroad.