Home : Networking : News

Web access is 'a basic human right'

A new survey conducted in 26 countries around the world reveals four out of five people believe internet access to be a right, not a privilege.

By Martin James, 8 Mar 2010 at 11:11

gallery

Four out of five people canvassed in a recent survey conducted by the BBC World Service believe internet access is a fundamental human right.

The survey polled some 28,000 adults in 26 countries around the world, with 79 per cent responding that web access was no longer a privilege but a right, with a country's technological infrastructure deemed just as important as more traditional utilities, such as roads and water.

The proportion was still higher among those who already have internet access, with 87 per cent saying it was a fundamental right, but even among those without internet access, seven out of 10 said they thought it should be a basic right.

In terms of specific countries, South Koreans were the most supportive of universal web access, with 96 per cent saying it was a right – not surprising considering the country already has near-universal web access. In Europe, nine out of 10 respondents in Turkey supported the notion.

The United Nations is increasingly pushing to have net access declared as a universal right, with Finland and Estonia among those in Europe having already passed laws to that effect.

“The right to communicate cannot be ignored,” said Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). “The internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created.”

Dr Toure added that the emergence of a global “knowledge society” meant “everyone must have access to participate”.

While the majority of those canvassed in South Korea and Nigeria believe governments should not play a role in the regulation of the internet, 55 per cent of UK respondents felt differently provided the degree of regulation was limited – an interesting aside given the current debate surrounding the proposed Digital Economy Bill.

The EU's recently adopted internet freedom provision requires member states to “respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens” before taking any measures that may affect their citizens' access to or use of the internet.

When asked about their chief concerns surrounding the internet, familiar topics rose to the surface across the globe: the risk of fraud, concerns over privacy and the widespread availability of violent or explicit content.

The survey was conducted by international polling firm GlobeScan.

Email to a friend

Print this page

< Previous Networking : News Next >

3 comments

You need to Login or Register to comment.

Freedom of Information & Communication Act

Their are many powerful reasons why the internet should be a Human Right. Education with freedom of information readily available causes people to be more informed about society, to play a role in shaping peoples opinions and allowing an educated vote. Another good reason is regarding carbon emissions, in the modern world a very high proportion of vehicles on the road causing pollution are traveling to do a job that could be done from home, cutting pollution, road deaths, congestion significantly. Not having these technologies freely available in poorer countries means that they are not only kept in the dark ages but will have to travel longer, be more tired, reduce productivity, keep costs high for traveler and companies providing office space. Much of the worlds conflict is caused by a lack of communication, it is time that the borders to access be brought down as much as their is a need to cut down borders enabling a free multi-cultural society.

By MPRoberts121 on Tuesday Mar 9

Rights

What a load of tripe. In that case it is my human right not to have to pay income tax and council tax. PC gone mad.

By Birdmaniw on Tuesday Mar 9

Internet as essential for individuals as businesses, Chris Stening, MD, Easynet Connect

It's interesting that people now see the internet as a right rather than a privilege. For some time now businesses have considered their internet connection as an essential enabler to the business, as important as water or electricity, so it isn't surprising that the sentiment is filtering down to consumers. As early as May 2008, 71% of SMEs in the UK said their business could not cope for more than a day without the internet, and with the growth in cloud computing, we'd expect that to be far more by now. Consumers are also catching up with businesses when they say they're interested not just in the speed of their connection, but more specifically its ability to support the services they want. As companies take more of their applications online, they demand not only fast internet, but a service that is reliable and well supported.

By Easynet_Connect on Wednesday Mar 10