(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. has secured the commitment of more than 50 countries to promote freedom of expression on the internet in a campaign that has been delayed and fallen short of initial Biden administration aspirations.  

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is set to announce on Thursday morning that Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan are among those that have signed onto the declaration, which pledges to support the internet as a platform for transparency and innovation, according to two senior U.S. officials.

“Access to the open internet is limited by some authoritarian governments and online platforms and digital tools are increasingly used to repress freedom of expression and deny other human rights and fundamental freedoms,” reads the text of the declaration, which also calls on parties to refrain from government-led internet shutdowns and blocking of access, and instead work together to combat cybercrime and hackers. 

The initiative appears to have received a boost after Russia’s internet crackdown associated with its war in Ukraine, but has still not met U.S. ambitions to secure widespread support to counter government-controlled censorship.

One of the officials said Russia had spread disinformation and censorship both at home and in other countries, and that China was also pursuing similar internet policies. 

The initiative, delayed since December, now takes the form of a declaration rather than an alliance, the official confirmed, and has yet to garner support from several key players despite the administration’s efforts. 

India, the world’s largest democracy, has yet to sign on. Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa are also absent. Even New Zealand, a close U.S. intelligence partner, was not included in an early list of countries distributed before the announcement, although a senior administration official said it had since joined and the list was subsequently updated.

“That is a substantial proportion of the global population that should be at the table,” said Justin Sherman, a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, referring to such nations as global “swing states” whose influence was critical to the future of the internet. He has argued many advocates for a free and open internet viewed the U.S. initiative “skeptically,” saying it initially appeared intended solely to bolster U.S. strategic efforts to counter China, according to a paper he co-wrote earlier this year 

“That has changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he added.

One of the officials argued that democratic governments and other like-minded partners around the world were rising to the challenge “at this critical moment in history,” adding countries could still sign up.

Russia is seeking to lead the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union, which focuses on internet standards, in a September contest that will pit a Russian candidate against an American one.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.