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When delegates gather in Dubai in December for an obscure UN agency meeting, intense debate is expected on proposals to rewrite global telecom rules to effectively give the United Nations control over the Internet.

Russia, China and other countries back a move to place the Internet under the authority of the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency that sets technical standards for global phone calls.

US officials say placing the Internet under UN control will undermine the freewheeling nature of cyberspace, which promotes open commerce and free expression, and could give a green light for some countries to crack down on dissidents.

Analysts said an international Internet supervision mechanism will make all countries better prepared for a cyberattack, while nations should not let the supervision violate legal rights of Internet users.

Wen Weiping, a cybersecurity expert at Peking University, said an international Internet supervision mechanism will improve cybersecurity around the world because countries can better cooperate when being attacked by hackers.

Many cyberattacks are carried out in different countries, so an international supervision mechanism is very necessary, he added. And the mechanism will not only benefit China and Russia but also the United States, he said.

Due to conflicting opinions, analysts are not optimistic on the outcome of the meeting.

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