Internet in India is not just about surfing, watching Netflix and YouTube, it is really about the daily functions of a citizen being met. Whether it is used for studying by a student, skilling by a youth or housewife shopping or working online, the head of the family or the member of the family remote working, the Internet has now become an economic lifeline. And the Internet in India will always remain free and trusted said Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Union Minister of State, Electronics & IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, while speaking at Microsoft’s Future Ready Conference today.
“Internet in India will always be open, commerce safe and trusted, and accountable. There are three attributes to policymaking as far as we are concerned that the internet will always be open. And what I mean by open is that nobody, no state, no government, no big tech platforms can ever become a force that will in any way dilute the openness of the internet,” said Minister Chandrashekhar. “Number two, because of the proliferation of public services, and the nature of the Indian user, with ranges from a child to a woman to a man to a pensioner and to an elderly, the internet has to be and our policymaking has to assure that the Internet is always safe and trusted,” he said.
Talking about the third and last attribute, he said, “I was involved in the early days of the building of the Internet when I was in the US, and the Internet was utopia. As it was emphasised, that it was this great land where everybody would be communicating, exchanging ideas, but we also know that the Internet now is becoming a place of user harm, crime, criminality. So. accountability of those who have commercial platforms on the internet to their users is the third aspect of our public policy objectives. It is clearly our determination, and it is our focus in our mission, that the internet in India shall grow, India will become the largest connected country in the world. But in India, the internet will always be unlike China and unlike other countries, it will always be open. It'll always be safe and trusted. And on the internet, whoever does anything will be accountable shall be accountable to the users that he or she.”
Under MeiTY’s vision 1000 Days, connecting all Indians to an open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet is one of the key ambitions.
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