The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Presents the Results of the ITU Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues

During the proceedings of the ITU Council currently being held in Geneva, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented the results of the meetings of the Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues, in its capacity as chair of the working group. The presentation was made in the presence of His Excellency the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, his deputy, the directors of the Union's three sectors, and representatives of the 48 member states of the International Telecommunication Union.

His Excellency Engineer Majed bin Mohammed Al-Muzaid, Deputy Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission for the Technology and Infrastructure Sector and Chair of the Council Working Group, said that the group discussed a number of important topics in its recent meetings, including Over-The-Top (OTT) communications and information technology applications, and how to create an environment enabling all parties to identify the opportunities and implications associated with OTT services, as well as identifying regulatory approaches that could be considered to help create an environment that enables all stakeholders (users, communications service providers, and content service providers) to grow and thrive. Engineer Al-Muzaid also noted that the Council Working Group solicited the views of all parties on this matter, and received numerous responses exceeding 70 in number. He also noted that the recent meetings discussed topics related to strengthening security and trust, in addition to discussing issues of privacy and the protection of personal information and data on the internet, and considering the enactment of international regulatory frameworks that safeguard users' rights.

It is worth noting that the Kingdom's continued chairmanship of the group reflects its standing within the International Telecommunication Union, and its role in areas related to internet development and related policies, both at the regional and international levels. The ITU Council Working Group on International Internet-related Public Policy Issues is one of the most important working groups of the ITU Council, which has seen distinguished participation from many countries given the global interest the group enjoys.