Three-Quarters of UK and US Citizens Believe Internet Access is a ‘Human Right’
Ashley Allen / 10 years ago
A study commissioned by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) has revealed that 75% of Britons and 77% of Americans think internet access should be considered a basic human right. The study gathered opinions from 23,376 internet users across 24 countries. The UK and US figures are actually on the lower end of the scale, with 92% of citizens in Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Tunisia of the opinion that internet access is a human right, the global average being 83%.
Fen Hampton, Director of CIGI’s Global Security & Politics Program, said, “Overwhelming global public support for the idea that access to the Internet should be a human right shows just how important the internet has come to freedom of expression, freedom of association, social communication, the generation of new knowledge, and economic opportunity and growth.”
“Right now, one third of the world’s population is online but two-thirds of the world’s population is not. Unless they are brought online, a world of Internet ‘have and have-nots’ will not only contribute to income inequality, but also stifle the world’s full potential for prosperity and innovation,” he added.
Source: The Telegraph
