Why the Internet has become a human right

The Labor Party promises free broadband to every British family if it wins elections by 2030.

The Labor Party promises to provide free broadband internet service to every British family by 2030 if they win the general election. To do so, the party nationalizes BT's broadband infrastructure business and tax Internet giants such as Google and Facebook. Whatever you think of this plan, it implies that the Internet has become an important utility not only for everyday life behavior but also for exercising our political rights.

In fact, I have shown in my recently published research why the use of the Internet is a human right and a universal right. And because of this, it should be provided free of charge to those who cannot afford it, not only in Britain but around the world.

Internet access today is essential to living a minimal civilized life, which means not only survival but also political rights that allow us to influence the rules that govern our lives and hold the authorities accountable. That is why the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes rights such as central rights, free speech, free association, and free information. And, significantly, everyone needs an equal opportunity to exercise their political rights.

Prior to the Internet, many people in a democracy had almost equal opportunities to exercise their political rights. They can vote, write to newspapers or their political representative, attend public meetings and join organizations.

When some people use the Internet, their chances of exercising political rights are much higher than those without the Internet. They can publish their ideas online for millions of people to attend regular meetings, join other people, and access political information that was previously inaccessible.

Today, much of our political debate takes place online, so in some ways our political rights can only be exercised over the Internet. This means that the Internet requires access to almost equal opportunities for people to exercise their political freedom and why we use the Internet as a human right.

As a human right, Internet access should be "free" in two ways. First, it must be unconstitutional, censored, and uninterrupted - as requested by the United Nations General Assembly in an unspecified resolution in 2016. Second, governments must ensure the minimum good infrastructure available to all citizens, no matter how much money they have. . As a legal consultant, access to the Internet should be part of the minimum welfare benefits offered to those who cannot afford it. (It is already in Germany.)

Political objective

In developing countries, digital infrastructure is expensive to guarantee immediate reach for everyone. With the necessary technology being affordable (more people on the planet have access to clean water and toilets than web-enabled phones), universal access to free WiFi in public places is first guaranteed. Supply begins in the basic way and increases over time.

However, expensive infrastructure is not the only barrier to universal access in developing countries. Internet proliferation can also be enhanced by promoting gender equality and literacy and digital skills. Developed countries should support these efforts by honoring their commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Should everyone in the UK offer free broadband at their homes? There are very good reasons to provide the best internet access possible for everyone, whether it is increasing economic productivity, equaling nationwide prosperity or promoting social sharing and civic participation opportunities.