[Infowarrior] - BBC Survey: Internet access 'a human right'

[Richard Forno]

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm

Internet access 'a human 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."

The survey, conducted by GlobeScan for the BBC, also revealed  
divisions on the question of government oversight of some aspects of  
the net.

Web users questioned in South Korea and Nigeria felt strongly that  
governments should never be involved in regulation of the internet.  
However, a majority of those in China and the many European countries  
disagreed.

In the UK, for example, 55% believed that there was a case for some  
government regulation of the internet.

Rural retreat

The finding comes as the UK government tries to push through its  
controversial Digital Economy Bill.

As well as promising to deliver universal broadband in the UK by 2012,  
the bill could also see a so-called "three strikes rule" become law.

This rule would give regulators new powers to disconnect or slow down  
the net connections of persistent illegal file-sharers. Other  
countries, such as France, are also considering similar laws.

A season of reports from 8-19 March 2010 exploring the extraordinary  
power of the internet, including:

• Digital giants - top thinkers in the business on the future of the web
•
Recently, the EU adopted an internet freedom provision, stating that  
any measures taken by member states that may affect citizen's  access  
to or use of the internet "must respect the fundamental rights and  
freedoms of citizens".

In particular, it states that EU citizens are entitled to a "fair and  
impartial procedure" before any measures can be taken to limit their   
net access.

The EU is also committed to providing universal access to broadband.  
However, like many areas around the world the region is grappling with  
how to deliver high-speed net access to rural areas where the market  
is reluctant to go.

Analysts say that is a problem many countries will increasingly have  
to deal with as citizens demand access to the net.

The BBC survey found that 87% of internet users felt internet access  
should be the "fundamental right of all people".

More than 70% of non-users felt that they should have access to the net.

Overall, almost 79% of those questioned said they either strongly  
agreed or somewhat agreed with the description of the internet as a  
fundamental right - whether they currently had access or not.

Free speech

Countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Turkey most strongly support the  
idea of net access as a right, the survey found.

More than 90% of those surveyed in Turkey, for example, stated that  
internet access is a fundamental right - more than those in any  other  
European Country.

South Korea - the most wired country on Earth - had the greatest  
majority of people (96%) who believed that net access was a  
fundamental right. Nearly all of the country's citizens already enjoy  
high-speed net access.

The survey also revealed that the internet is rapidly becoming a vital  
part of many people's lives in a diverse range of nations.

In Japan, Mexico and Russia around three-quarters of respondents said  
they could not cope without it.

Most of those questioned also said that they believed the web had a  
positive impact, with nearly four in five saying it had brought them  
greater freedom.

However, many web users also expressed concerns. The dangers of fraud,  
the ease of access to violent and explicit content and worries over  
privacy were the most concerning aspects for those questioned.

A majority of users in Japan, South Korea and Germany felt that they  
could not express their opinions safely online, although in Nigeria,  
India and Ghana there was much more confidence about speaking out.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm

Published: 2010/03/08 08:52:59 GMT

© BBC MMX