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<font face="Verdana">The below piece shows in simple and clear terms
<br>
<br>
1. who is responsible for balakanisation of the global InternetÂ
(wrong guesses - developing country governments, right guess - the
US)<br>
<br>
2. What needs to be done to stop it (wrong guess - more fluff in
the name of Internet governance, right guess - international
agreements about some basic decencies and protocols vis a vis the
global Internet)<br>
<br>
But as they say, one can wake up a sleeping person, but not
someone who is pretending to be asleep... parminder <br>
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<div> <span> <span>15 February 2014</span> <span>Last updated
at </span><span>19:22 GMT</span> </span>
<h1>Data protection: Angela Merkel proposes Europe network</h1>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel is proposing building up a
European communications network to help improve data
protection.</p>
<p>It would avoid emails and other data automatically passing
through the United States. </p>
<p>In her weekly podcast, she said she would raise the issue on
Wednesday with French President Francois Hollande.</p>
<p>Revelations of mass surveillance by the US National Security
Agency (NSA) have prompted huge concern in Europe.</p>
<p>Disclosures by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden suggested
even the mobile phones of US allies, such as Mrs Merkel, had
been monitored by American spies. </p>
<p>Classified NSA documents revealed that large amounts of
personal data are collected from the internet by US and
British surveillance. </p>
<p>Mrs Merkel criticised the fact that Facebook and Google can
be based in countries with low levels of data protection while
carrying out business in nations that offer more rigorous
safeguards. </p>
<p>"Above all, we'll talk about European providers that offer
security for our citizens, so that one shouldn't have to send
emails and other information across the Atlantic," she said. </p>
<p>"Rather, one could build up a communication network inside
Europe."</p>
<span>Sensitive</span>
<p>There was no doubt that Europe had to do more in the realm of
data protection, she said. </p>
<p>A French official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying
that the government in Paris planned to take up the German
initiative. </p>
<p>Personal privacy is a sensitive issue in Germany where
extensive surveillance was carried out under the Nazis and in
communist East Germany. </p>
<p>A foreign policy spokesman for Mrs Merkel's Christian
Democrats, Philipp Missfelder, recently said revelations about
US spying had helped bring relations with Washington down to
their worst level since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. </p>
<p>Germany has been trying to persuade Washington to agree to a
"no-spy" agreement but without success.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26210053"
target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26210053</a><br>
BBC News<br>
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