Vint Cerf, one of the inventors of the Internet and current vice-president of Google, said here Friday that services such as Uber should be embraced, not regulated.
Since arriving in Montevideo in November, the popular transport service has faced strong resistance from local taxi drivers.
For Cerf, Uber "is a classic example of how what has always been done can be done differently."
"Instead of having regulated taxi companies, anyone with a car can offer a service and become part of the economy," Cerf said. "The nature of the economy is changing as opportunities arise in new areas."
In Cerf's opinion, while regulations are designed to provide adequate protection for consumers, they should not hamper the free growth of innovations such as Uber.
As a computer engineer, Cerf carried out pioneering research at UCLA and Stanford, culminating in the creation of protocols now known as TCP/IP, which are crucial to the operation of the Internet.
In the 1980s, Cerf designed MCI MAIL, the first commercial email service connected to the Internet.
Joining Google in 2005, Cerf now serves as the company's vice-president, focusing on finding new uses for the Internet.
Cerf is in Uruguay for a conference entitled "The future of the Internet," an event organized by the Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Center.
