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The White House said on Thursday that the United States and more than 55 other governments have pledged to strengthen online democracy by agreeing not to shut down internet access, use algorithms to illegally spy on citizens, or run misinformation campaigns to undermine elections.
Governments said they would not block or limit access to legitimate content or illegally gain access to an individual’s personal data. Countries have also pledged to promote access to the Internet and protect the safety of its users, especially youth and women.
The commitment is not legally binding, but countries including Ukraine, Argentina and New Zealand said the document should be “used as a reference for citizens, businesses and civil society organizations, as well as public policy makers.”
Governments that aggressively regulate American tech giants such as the European Commission, the UK and Australia have also endorsed the commitment. Brazil and India, two of the world’s most important markets for technology, did not.
Senior Biden administration officials said the commitment, called the Declaration on the Future of the Internet, helps serve as a counterpoint against countries from the rest of the world, such as China and Russia, who are trying to block the internet. One clause in the word says that countries will not create “social scorecards”. China’s “social credit” system.
American officials have become particularly concerned in recent years about Beijing’s efforts to expand its influence on global technology. China has promoted telecommunications equipment for use in 5G wireless networks and invested in domestic production of products such as microchips. Biden administration officials spent months developing the commitment; His efforts initially met with resistance from activists and experts. anxious He said the measures contained in a draft proposal last year would be difficult for smaller countries to sign.
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