Talks On Regulating Internet Begin

GENEVA (AP) -- International negotiations have begun on how and whether to manage the Internet, along with associated problems such as junk E-mail and pornography.

Organizers said a two-week meeting, which began this week, aims to narrow differences among countries ahead of the World Summit on the Information Society in mid-December.

The summit, organized by the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union, seeks common policy on using information technology to create greater prosperity.

The current plan includes protecting minors from harmful content and assuring confidentiality of personal information, while addressing unsolicited E-mail, known as spam.

Wolfgang Kleinwaechter, a communications professor from Denmark's Aarhus University, said many users are concerned that governments will impose regulations that will stifle freedom of the Internet.

Kleinwaechter, one of the meeting's "civil society" representatives, said controls should stem from the users, not governments