Internet Access is a Human Right

It is as preposterous to call Internet access a human right as it would be to call owning mobile phones a human right! In today’s digitized world of living, the importance of the Internet is undeniable; however, to call it a matter of right is stretching it a bit too far. As the Federal Communications Commission member Mr. O’rielly rightly mentioned, Internet access is not a necessity like food or liberty and hence, should not be considered a fundamental right (Brodkin, 2015). True that. Internet access cannot be a necessity from any social, cultural, economic and political standpoint. So it cannot be considered a ‘right’. Cerf (2012) makes a strong claim in this regard. He says that Internet is a technology that is meant to enable rights and not become a right itself. Calling it a ‘human right’ would be valuing things incorrectly.

However, Internet is a platform for connecting with people, expressing opinions and feelings. And going by the United Nation’s Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone must have the freedom of expression. So when governments shut off Internet access to repress political unrest, questions of right related to the Internet surface. This seems unjustified by the UN, as notes Kravets (2011). The UN has declared Internet access a human right. A BBC Internet Poll also revealed that 4 out of 5 respondents felt that Internet should be a right, a right to express (BBC News, 2010). And most importantly, the father of the worldwide web, Tim Berners Lee himself, felt that it is time we recognize Internet access as a human right, right to information without political or commercial discrimination (Kessler, 2014). Therefore, it can well be argued that Internet access should be a human right.

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References:

BBC News (2010). Internet Access is a ‘fundamental right’. Retrieved September 13, 2015 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8548190.stm
Brodkin, Jon (2015). Internet access “not a necessity or human right,” says FCC Republican. Ars Technica. Retrieved on September 13, 2015 from http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/06/internet-access-not-a-necessity-or-human-right-says-fcc-republican/
Cerf, Vinton G. (2012). Internet Access Is Not a Human Right. The New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/opinion/internet-access-is-not-a-human-right.html
Kessler, Vincent (2014). Internet should be a ‘human right’ – Web’s inventor. Reuters. Retrieved September 13, 2015 from http://www.rt.com/news/213611-internet-access-human-right/
Kravets, David (2011). U.N. Report Declares Internet Access a Human Right. Wired Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2015 from http://www.wired.com/2011/06/internet-a-human-right/