Dedicated standards bodies to govern privacy and intellectual property are needed to safeguard the future of the internet, say experts.

Governments must co-operate with industry to create a common set of rules, and stakeholder groups will become a bridge between industry and legislators worldwide, said technology pioneer Vint Cerf.

“Different bodies best suited to solving different problems will emerge, and multi-stakeholder discussion will have a big role to play in identifying difficulties,” he said.

Organisations such as the World Wide Web Consortium and the Internet Engineering Task Force will help to create common standards for businesses and users alike.

Last week the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) issued a declaration from 42 countries to form closer links and speed up the rollout of IPv6.