80% think that Internet Access is a basic Human Right
Does anyone else find odd the idea of access to the Internet as a fundamental human right? Of all of the “human rights” is this not somewhat intriguing?
Still it goes to show that my comments a couple of days ago were right:-
Internet access is ‘a fundamental right’
Almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests.
The survey – of more than 27,000 adults across 26 countries – found strong support for net access on both sides of the digital divide.
Countries such as Finland and Estonia have already ruled that access is a human right for their citizens.
International bodies such as the UN are also pushing for universal net access.
“The right to communicate cannot be ignored,” Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), told BBC News.
“The internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created.”
He said that governments must “regard the internet as basic infrastructure – just like roads, waste and water”.
“We have entered the knowledge society and everyone must have access to participate.”
Matt Wardman has an interesting post on this.
Tags: Internet & Technology