The internet shutdown in Egypt in January 2011 sparked a lively debate on whether access to the internet is a fundamental human right or not? This discussion has re-emerged with the recent release of the report by Frank LaRue, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of speech and expression. The report identifies the internet as the key means by which individuals exercise their right to freedom of expression. The report concludes that the same framework that safeguards the right to freedom of expression must govern the right to internet access.
While welcomed by many, the characterization of internet access as a fundamental right has not been unanimously embraced.
For the many activists relying on the internet in their fight for freedom and democracy the question of whether the internet should be a protected right, the answer would no doubt be a resounding yes. The international outrage following the Egyptian internet blackout would indicate that this position is widely held. Indeed, according to a 2010 BBC poll, four out of five adults, across 26 countries, regard internet access as a fundamental right.
The counter argument questions whether internet access may be a misplaced priority when staggering numbers of people do not have access to life’s most basic necessities – food, water, housing, healthcare. Access to the internet, as the argument goes, is out of place on that list.
If the internet is viewed merely as one means of sharing and receiving information, and more specifically as a means available to only a fraction of the world’s population, its characterization as a fundamental right can be difficult to justify. However, this view may too narrowly define the impact that the internet has in today’s world. There is no other medium of communication with the reach, breadth of information, or interactivity of the internet. In more developed countries, where information from a variety of sources is readily available, it is easy to see the internet as a luxury or a convenience. However, to those living in developing countries, particularly ones with repressive regimes, the internet can play a far more fundamental role.
Additionally, the knowledge exchange facilitated by the internet supports a host of other basic rights. Internet technology allows people access to knowledge in all fields and areas of life that would otherwise be unattainable. A single internet kiosk in a rural town or region can have a dramatic effect on improving agriculture, healthcare, and education. As aptly noted by Mr LaRue, the internet, as an ‘enabler’ of other human rights, “boosts economic, social, and political development, and contributes to the progress of human kind as a whole.” When viewed from this perspective, perhaps the right to internet access is not such a misplaced priority after all. The debate will undoubtedly continue.
