Comment & Debate
United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the right to education and the right to work, which may hinge on Internet access.[1]
Bill Thompson. “The Right to Internet Access.” The Register. May 31st, 2009: “I’ve seen the growing awareness within the developing world that computers and connectivity matter and can be useful. It’s not that computers matter more than water, food, shelter and healthcare, but that the network and PCs can be used to ensure that those other things are available.
Satellite imagery sent to a local computer can help villages find fresh water, mobile phones can tell farmers the prices at market so they know when to harvest.
The same arguments apply in the UK, but those of us who have easy, affordable and fast connectivity tend not to think of the plight of those who can’t get online, just as we so often fail to notice the homeless people in our towns or let our eyes glide over deprived housing estates as we sit on the train.”