"Free And Open Internet Under Attack": Google Boss Sundar Pichai

Sundar Pichai's comment comes as social media platforms, news publishers, OTT websites and search engines (like Google) grapple with India's new IT rules

The "free and open internet is under attack in several countries", Google boss Sundar Pichai told the BBC this month. Mr Pichai told the BBC many countries were restricting, or trying to restrict, the flow of information, and that the idea of a "free and open internet" was being taken for granted. "... it is more a step back... I think a free and open internet is a tremendous force for good and we take it for granted a bit...," he said in response to a question about "different internets" - a reference to countries having increasingly disparate laws about online content. "In each country now there is a debate what speech is ok and what should be allowed... in some ways I think we pull back from the bigger picture (which is that) many countries around the world are restricting the flow of information and drawing much more rigid boundaries," he said. The Google and Alphabet chief also urged "countries with strong democratic traditions and values" to stand up against the potential fragmenting of the internet.