The UN Have Had It With People Trying to Restrict The Internet

When it comes to your experience with the internet, you either love it or you hate it. My experience is that the speed of your internet decides which of these you grow up and live with. The problem is that many countries are now using the internet for purposes that were never thought of, and as a result, the countries and organisations of the world are having to play catch up. One part that countries are having to catch up with is when groups want to restrict access to the internet, something which the UN have now officially stated their stance on.

The United National Human Rights Council (HRC) has come out and stated their opposition to “state-sponsored” attempts to restrict internet access. They also state their dislike for countries or groups that punish people who have used the internet, something that is often seen a platform for truly free speech, in ways they don’t agree or like.

The resolution, passed on Friday, states that “the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression”. While it bears no legal weight, the resolution shows the HRC are against actions including “arbitrary detention and gender-based violence enacted against anyone expressing themselves online”.

With countries restricting internet access for anything from stopping cheating in national exams to stopping people from posting during political visits or elections, maybe one day we would see the internet being used for what it was created for. Something that can unite and share everything the human race has to give without companies, groups or political agendas corrupting those ideals.