Reading audio
Cairo
16 November 2009
Egypt says it has begun registration for the first Arabic language
Internet domain. The move is part of efforts to let users of non-Latin
script have better access to the Web.
The new domain name will be "dot.msr"
(pronounced either misr or masr), Arabic for Egypt, and promises to
open up the Web to millions of Arabic-only readers.
Egypt's
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Tarek Kamel
announced the move at the fourth Internet Governance Forum, under way
in the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh.
The U.N.-backed forum
is building on a decision by the body responsible for domains, the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, to allow
Web site addresses in any language.
ICANN says about half the
Internet users around the world don't use a Latin-based script as their
native language, adding the change will affect billions of potential
users.
The group says requests by governments for domain names
should be approved and come online next year. Individual Web addresses
would then follow.
U.N. Under Secretary General for Economic
and Social Affairs Sha Zukang highlighted the reason for this year's conference, "Creating Opportunities
for All," at Sunday's opening session.
"It will allow us to reexamine
and reflect upon the main theme of the IGF: access, diversity,
openness, security and critical Internet resources," Sha said.
Media rights groups welcome the end of Latin-alphabet Web domination.
But
Soazig Dollet of Paris-based Reporters Without Borders says it is
laughable that Egypt should be in the front of the movement.
"The
fact that Egypt is launching this Arabic domain Monday is
ironic, really, regarding the situation of freedom on the Internet
today in this country. Egypt is one of the enemies of the Internet. And
Internet governance requires regulations," Dollet said.
Reporters
Without Borders is one of several media and human rights groups that
have expressed concern about Egyptian opposition figures who have been
detained for their Internet writings.
Dollet adds that while
there are other Arabic-speaking countries that do not control the
Internet as much as Egypt, it is not clear how long that relative
freedom will last.
Category