"There is an urgent need for formulating globally co-ordinated, inclusive and coherent Internet policies. In the absence of an integrated and holistic global policy, States are adopting diverse and often contradictory national policies on new and emerging issues such as net neutrality, social networking sites, search engines, role of internet intermediaries and cyber-terrorism," he said.

The security expert said if the fragmentation of the internet through disparate national level policies is to be avoided and the inherently global character of the internet is to be preserved, urgent action is needed to create an opportunity wherein these issues can be discussed in an open, transparent, democratic and participatory manner.

He said the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) set up in 2003 by the UN Secretary-General had identified the absence of a global forum for participation by Governments, especially from the developing countries, in addressing cross-cutting issues related to global internet policy development as a key lacunae in the present system of Internet Governance.

"It recommended establishment of a "multilateral, transparent and democratic" organisational mechanism that functions with the full involvement of Governments, private sector, civil society and international organisations within their respective roles, 'without according a pre-eminent role to any single Government'," he said.

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