U.S. officials are stepping up a campaign to defeat a Russian candidate for a U.N. agency that could determine how much control governments have over the internet, Axios' Margaret McGill reports.

The big picture: Russia's designs on the little-known agency raise the stakes for what its vision of the internet could mean for the rest of the world, especially following its invasion of Ukraine.

• "You don't have to look very far to understand, in this current day and age of geopolitics, how important it is to have the right kinds of open communications networks," Alan Davidson, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, told Axios.

State of play: The U.S. is running a candidate to lead the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the telecommunications agency of the U.N.

• If elected, Doreen Bogdan-Martin would be the first female secretary-general of the ITU, and the first U.S. leader since the 1950s.
• Her competition is Russian candidate Rashid Ismailov, who previously worked for the Russian government and Huawei.

Driving the news: Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is campaigning for Bogdan-Martin during a trip to Europe this week, and meeting with delegations from Asia, Latin America and Europe, a government official told Axios.

Why it matters: There's a battle brewing over how much of a role the ITU and governments should have over internet standards and protocols, with China and Russia advocating for the ITU to have more control over how the internet operates.

• China and Russia's vision would "encourage governments to have greater control over who's allowed to use the internet, how it's allowed to be used and whether or not there should be free flow of information," David Gross, a former ambassador for international communications policy, told Axios.
• That's in contrast with the Western "bottom-up approach" of technologists, civil society groups and others determining internet standards and protocols.

How it works: The nonprofit organization Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (ICANN) coordinates the internet's address system and other technical operations.

• But Russia and China leaders have said the ITU should be the place for negotiations over the way the internet would operate.

The intrigue: The vote will be held by secret ballot this fall at the ITU's Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest by the 193 member countries. Each country gets one vote.

• Bogdan-Martin has worked for the ITU for nearly 30 years, lives in Europe and is seen as a global citizen.
• "But make no mistake, control of the internet is a critical question," Susan Ness, a former FCC commissioner and a visiting distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund, told Axios.

Yes, but: The Russian and Chinese vision of greater government control and insight into internet operations could appeal to other member countries as well.

• "We are deeply concerned about the direction that the ITU might move in under that kind of direction from somebody who comes from a much more authoritarian view of communications," Davidson told Axios.

Former President Trump is blowing the launch of his new social media company, via a series of unforced errors, Axios' Dan Primack reports.

Why it matters: The SPAC that agreed to take Truth Social public is valued at over $3.5 billion. At some point, investors will begin paying attention.

The big picture: Truth Social's public unveil was Feb. 21 (President's Day, natch).

• The launch itself was buzzy, with Truth Social shooting to the top of Apple's App Store (no Android or web version, yet).
• But the vast majority of people downloading the app were given a waitlist number. Ten days later, most remain on that waitlist.
• As of this writing, Truth Social has fallen to No. 57 in the App Store, just behind Tinder and Planet Fitness Workouts.

Trump's role: The former president is Truth Social's founder and chairman, so he obviously bears some responsibility for putting together the team that's so far fallen on its face. But, most importantly, he's not using the app.

• Trump hasn't posted a single time since the launch, despite an international crisis that has captivated the country.
• Had he limited, or at least prioritized, his reactions to Truth Social, it would have caused every media outlet to mention the app.

The bottom line: The SPAC's investment thesis seems to be that a large percentage of Trump's 88 million Twitter followers will migrate over to Truth Social. But nearly two weeks after launch, his dormant account has fewer than 80,000 followers. And Trump himself is largely to blame.

A bipartisan group of attorneys general launched an investigation Wednesday into whether TikTok is harming children's and teens' mental health, Axios' Ashley Gold reports.

Driving the news: Massachusetts, California, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont will investigate whether using TikTok is harmful to young adults, and whether TikTok was aware of such harms, per an announcement from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Why it matters: Regulators have shown an interest in passing legislation to stem the influence of tech platforms on kids and teens, and expressed concern about the mental health impacts that may result from using apps like TikTok and Instagram.

What they're saying: "As children and teens already grapple with issues of anxiety, social pressure, and depression, we cannot allow social media to further harm their physical health and mental wellbeing," Healey said in a release.

• "We look forward to providing information on the many safety and privacy protections we have for teens," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to Axios.

Fortnite and Unreal Engine creator Epic Games is acquiring indie online store and music platform Bandcamp, a deal announced Wednesday that will help further Epic's music ambitions, Axios' Megan Farokhmanesh reports.

Why it matters: The move could give Epic more ways to incorporate music into the metaverse and its products.

• Bandcamp has long been an important storefront for small artists; it allows them greater control over selling their music, including the ability to set sliding prices.

Co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond said Bandcamp will work with Epic on international expansion and help to improve its features.

Catch up quick: Epic's purchase is just the latest step in its music push.

• In November, the company announced its acquisition of Rock Band developer Harmonix "to reimagine how music is experienced, created and distributed."
• Fortnite regularly features huge artists like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande through in-game concerts.

Trading Places

• Michael Kennedy was recently promoted to senior vice president, global government relations and public policy at VMware.
• Accenture has named Andy Hickl, previously a principal group program manager in the Azure Strategic Missions and Technologies team at Microsoft, as its global capability lead of artificial intelligence. 

ICYMI

• Ukraine calls on the gaming industry to suspend business with Russia. (Axios)
• Google told U.S. employees to return to the office for at least three days a week starting April 4. (CNBC)
• Amazon announced plans to shutter 68 brick-and-mortar retail stores. (CNBC)

Meta's not the only one thinking about merging physical and virtual experiences.

This industrious (and deranged) modder wanted to actually feel the motorcycles of Grand Theft Auto V. So they attached a combustion engine to a desk and hacked the throttle to match the in-game speed.

• It's a very impressive, and very unnecessary, bit of immersion.