National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has organised a 2-day event (27-28th March) on Universal Acceptance Day to drive collaborative efforts for an inclusive and multilingual internet in India.
NIXI is a non-for-profit company under the aegis of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Universal Acceptance (UA
- Universal Acceptance (UA ) day is observed on March 28.
- Universal Acceptance (UA) is a technical requirement that ensures all email addresses and valid domain names, regardless of script, language, or character length, can be equally used seamlessly by all Internet-enabled applications, devices, and systems.
- The first Universal Acceptance Day was celebrated on 28 March 2023. It was organized by the MeitY through the NIXI, in collaboration with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG).
- The day provides an opportunity to rally local, regional, and global communities and organizations to spread UA awareness and encourage UA adoption with key stakeholders.
To promote multilingualism on the Internet
India is home to more than 18,000 dialects. As we move from one city to another, pronunciation and ways of speaking change completely. The country has the most internet users but it must be noted that language barriers also make it a base of the largest numbers of non-users who do not speak English.
It is very important that we not just provide internet services but also create emails and websites in native languages. Providing a multilingual internet user interface is crucial for bridging the current digital divide.
Through Universal Acceptance, we can connect with non-internet users and promote digital inclusion across the country and the world.
Next 1 billion internet users are likely to come from non-English speaking countries, heightening the need towards achieving a multilingual internet to make it accessible for all.
- Full potential of the internet cannot be realized until it becomes multilingual.
