People may joke that others spend too much time on the Internet, but this complex series of tubes that is the Internet has become such an important part of everyday life that it has become a violation of human rights to remove it.
Internet access is a human right!
According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which adopted a non-binding resolution condemning countries that intentionally remove or disrupt their citizens’ access to the Internet, access to the Internet is a human right! The resolution passed, but countries including Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and India opposed it. More than 70 states supported the resolutions, according to a statement released by Article 19, an organization that works to promote freedom of expression and information. Thomas Hughes, executive director of Article 19, wrote:
We are disappointed that democracies such as South Africa, Indonesia, and India voted in favor of these hostile amendments aimed at weakening protections for freedom of expression online. A human rights-based approach to providing and expanding access to the Internet, based on States’ existing international obligations, is essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and no State should seek to slow this trend…
The resolution notes what many of us already know: Increasing access to the Internet is important because it facilitates vast opportunities for affordable and inclusive education globally or provides other resources for education, particularly across the digital divide. In line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the organization also recognized that the diffusion of technology has great potential to accelerate human progress.
It’s all there: your news outlets, your job search resources, and your credit card statements. It’s become impossible to live without basic Internet access.
Other countries have already stressed the importance of open access, including US President Barack Obama, who in 2015 said that today, broadband is not a luxury, it is a necessity.
The resolution also highlights several issues that need to be addressed, including freedom of expression on the internet. Other points presented included:
Can the UN do anything for the web?
The UN can’t legally enforce the resolutions. Rather, they’re meant to provide guidelines to participating countries and put pressure on those who might have dissenting views. They’re just general statements about how governments should shape laws when it comes to the internet. It’s nice to see, even if it doesn’t do much beyond filling up a few sheets of digital paper.
The next step in Internet access is for these countries to actively address the issues, including free speech laws and how these rights can be violated to spread violence, terrorist ideals, and harassment. The more we discuss the problems that come with the free reign of the Internet, the closer we will get to Valhalla (or so I hear).
