There has been a long debate about whether the Internet is a luxury or a necessity – and the dialogue is ongoing. While some people think that the Internet should be enumerated as a basic human right in their respective national constitutions, many citizens argue that it is still not fundamental to that level in a world where hunger, homelessness, and lack of primary education access have not been fully eradicated. But it is time to recognize that access to the Internet is not a privilege anymore, regardless of whether we are talking about a first or third-world country’s perspective.
A vicious circle of human rights
The Internet no longer functions as only a channel for entertainment in the modern world. In 2023, being online is about more than just checking the social media feed, chatting with peers, or keeping up with the trends created by gossip magazines. Access to the Internet is intrinsically linked to the fulfillment of all other fundamental human needs and rights.
In recent years, several universities and colleges have begun offering online courses and degrees that are accessible anywhere in the world. Students from low-income nations can take advantage of these chances because they were designed with them in mind, allowing them to improve their educational standing without breaking the bank. While most college courses are still taught in traditional lecture halls, many universities now rely on online learning management systems (LMS) to handle a variety of administrative tasks, including quizzes, assignment submissions, and fees payment. Therefore, students are certainly struggling greatly through their academic programs if they do not have access to the Internet.
In addition, numerous online training programs and fellowships have been developed by many community educational organizations on the basis of SDG 4’s ambition to create lifelong opportunities for all. Without universal access to the Internet, people are unable to take advantage of these opportunities.
The employment market is also moving online. The majority of organizations today only advertise open positions on online job boards, making it challenging for those without Internet access to find and apply for them. Moreover, most companies now ask employees to have a strong broadband connection for their job tasks rather than the workplace getting hybrid or remote. In addition, as more and more businesses are adopting a hybrid or remote work model, it is becoming standard practice to need employees to have access to a reliable broadband connection for conducting their job tasks.
As more property owners list their homes for rent or sale on various SaaS marketplaces, the housing industry has become similarly reliant on the digital economy. So, access to the Internet cannot be seen as a secondary need anymore in the world we live in now.
Study on the declaration for Internet access as a basic human right
According to a study published in the journal Politics, Philosophy & Economics (7 April 2023) by researchers from the UK’s University of Birmingham, Internet access needs to be recognized as a fundamental human right in emerging nations in order to prevent the risk of inequality. It outlines that Internet connection should be considered a basic human right because of how crucial it is to the exercise of other socio-economic human rights such as education, healthcare, work, and housing.
“In developing countries, Internet access can make the difference between people receiving an education, staying healthy, finding a home, and securing employment — or not”, it states.
But long before this study, A BBC survey of 26 countries in March 2010 revealed that 79 percent of respondents considered Internet access a fundamental right. Later in 2016, the United Nations declared the Internet as a basic human right, remarking that “the same rights people have offline must also be protected online.”
Issues in developing countries related to the Internet access
In addition to government spending and policy decisions, the infrastructure of a country’s telecommunications sector, both public and commercial, is crucial to Internet access. Internet access is prohibitively expensive for most of the population in many third-world countries. Therefore, there should be some kind of regulation on how different Internet service providers set their costs. The high prices of technological devices in developing countries are another issue that often gets ignored – people cannot afford the Internet even if it is accessible at a low cost without the use of modern gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops, and routers.
Case studies on Internet access as a human right
#KeepItOn campaign by Access Now promotes digital rights worldwide. The campaign kicked off in 2016 In order to take on Internet shutdowns around the world following the Egypt shutdown of the Internet in Egypt during the Arab Spring – serving as a big wake-up call for activists all around the world. The movement now collaborates with 280 organizations in 105 nations in its advocacy to ensure Internet access.
South Africa has the highest mobile data pricing in Africa in 2022, ranking 148th out of 228 nations. This has a big influence on a country with the world’s highest inequality and a majority of poor people. Amandla Mobi, a civil society organization in South Africa, facilitates campaigns that empower Black people, with a particular emphasis on Black women from low-income backgrounds.
These two scenarios highlight how essential it is to protect people’s right to freedom of speech and the economic growth of a nation by making the Internet accessible for all citizens as a basic human right.
References
Reglitz, M. (2023, April 7). The Socio-Economic Argument for the Human Right to Internet Access. The University of Birmingham. Retrieved from https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/publications/the-socio-economic-argument-for-the-human-right-to-internet-acces.
Jackson, N. (2011, June 3). 2011. United Nations Delares Internet Access A Basic Human Right. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/united-nations-declares-internet-access-a-basic-human-right/239911/.
Mhlungu, G. (2022, July 14). Why Internet Access Needs to Be Considered a Basic Human Right. Global Citizen. Retrieved from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/internet-access-basic-human-right/.