Summit on Internet governance opens in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Apr 23 (AFP): A summit on Internet governance kicks off in Brazil today, aiming for a new global partnership in the wake of revelations on US online surveillance.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff called the gathering last years amid ire worldwide stemming from the disclosures about US spying in documents leaked by Edward Snowden.

The two-day NETmundial gathering in Sao Paulo includes representatives from countries around the world and comes in the wake of word from US officials that they plan to loosen their grip on the Internet.

The recently revealed plan by Washington would set into motion a process for a "multistakeholder" model of Internet governance.

Some countries like China and Russia want oversight of the Internet's technical functions to come under a group of governments or an intergovernmental organisation.