Google is seeking official help to fight a wave of Web censorship, asking U.S. trade officials to treat Internet restrictions as international trade barriers, similar to tariffs and other hurdles to global commerce. Google sees the dramatic increase in government Internet censorship, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, as a potential threat to its advertising-driven business model and wants government officials to consider the issue in economic, rather than just political, terms.
Meanwhile, in advance of this week’s ICANN meeting in San Juan, the organization’s new "Accountability and Transparency Frameworks and Principles" are generating some negative commentary, with one blogger criticizing what he calls "ICANN’s secrecy and lack of accountability to the public or to any independent body."