Governance of the Internet.

Oppressive dictators believe that the Internet should be controlled and monitored by the United Nations. They call for regulation and censorship. Critics believe that allowing the U.N. to have governance over the Internet can threaten freedom and prosperity the world over. The Obama Administration is under scrutiny for failing to voice America's interest in these discussions. Newman discusses the Internet current governance, “today, the online world is largely governed and regulated by a decentralized network of non-profit groups, most of which are based in America where the Internet was born. And private-sector interests — companies such as Google, Facebook, and others — still dominate the web at present” (Newman). Oppressive governments are outraged that many of the private companies that regulate the Internet are U.S. Based. “Like many other governments around the world, the regime ruling Russia is not happy about the current situation — especially as most of the key Internet stakeholders are based in America. And so, the “solution” — for dictators and oppressive rulers around the world, at least — is to shift that power into the hands of a global body, or at least to national government.”(Newman). More information on this legislation can be found here.