An executive at internet giant Google said Tuesday that Washington's latest move to encourage service providers to expand their work into Iran, Cuba and Sudan was a 'great accomplishment'.

'Hopefully it will help... activities all over the world take a small step in what is certainly a long road ahead,' said Robert Boorstin, a head of the communications division at Google.

He was speaking at a human rights forum in Geneva.

Boorstin said that Internet freedoms were under threat in both Western democracies and countries with fewer liberties, in different ways. He cited China and Italy as countries that have recently taken steps against what he perceived as online rights.

The US Treasury Department said Monday it was easing restrictions on US companies that export Internet services and software to Iran, Cuba and Sudan, long-time foes of Washington.

The administration hopes that access to web-based communications will foster more open societies.

Companies like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are expected to gain from the move, having been stifled by strict export controls.