According to a new study, free internet access should be considered a human right, as people unable to connect to the internet, especially in developing countries, lack meaningful ways to influence the global personalities who lead them in their daily lives
As political participation on the Internet increasingly develops, the basic freedoms that many consider to be undermined, including freedom of expression, freedom of information and freedom of assembly, are undermined if some citizens have access to the Internet and others do not.
New research reveals that the Internet can be a fundamental means of protecting other basic human rights, such as life, liberty, and liberation, and a means to enable billions of people to lead "minimally decent" lives.
Dr. Merten Riglitz, Professor of Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham, has published his findings, the first study of its kind, in the Journal of Applied Philosophy.
Dr. Riglitz commented, "Internet access is not a luxury but a moral human right. Everyone should have uncensored access to this universal medium, and be provided free of charge to those who cannot afford it"
"Without this access, many people lack a meaningful way to influence and hold supranational rule-makers and institutions accountable. These people simply have no say in crafting the rules they must comply with and that shape their life chances."
He added that the exercise of freedom of expression and access to information now depends heavily on access to the Internet. Much political debate takes place in some countries online and policy-related information is shared online, which means that the relative value of these freedoms for people who cannot access the Internet has diminished.
Dr. Riglitz's research attributes unprecedented potential and importance of the Internet to protecting fundamental human rights to life, liberty, and integrity of the body.
While acknowledging that internet access does not guarantee these rights, she cites examples of online participation that has helped hold US government and institutions accountable. These are examples of the great role of the Internet in that
The Arab Spring: New ways to report government atrocities globally
Documenting unjustified police violence against African Americans in the United States
#MeToo Campaign: Help eliminate sexual harassment of women by powerful men
In his study, Dr. Martin Riglitz added that the human right to access the Internet is similar to the universal right to health. According to the non-governmental organization The World Wide Web Foundation, founded by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, "the affordability of the Internet" remains
One of the most important obstacles to universal Internet access, but it is solvable. About 2.3 billion people lack access to the Internet at its unreasonable prices, and this must end sooner so that all people have access to the Internet for free.
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