Internet access as a Human Right CONCEPCION, APPLE KRISHIA ILLESCAS, NIKO PASCUA, MA. CHRISTINE FLOR POLICARPIO, SARAH

2 Dimensions: (A) Access to content (B) Access to physical and technical infrastructures

A. Access to content: Restriction of Content 1. Arbitrary blocking or filtering of content on the internet 2. Criminalization of legitimate expression 3. Imposition of intermediary liability 4. Disconnecting users from internet access, including on the basis of intellectual property rights law 5. Cyber-attacks 6. Inadequate protection of the right to privacy and data protection

B. Access to physical and technical infrastructures  Countries which legitimated internet access as a right: Estonia, France, Costa Rica, Finland  BBC survey in March 2010: “79% of those interviewed in 26 countries believe that Internet access is a fundamental human right”  “States should adopt effective and concrete policies…. to make the Internet widely available, accessible and affordable to all”

Implications on democracy  Access to information as the “cornerstone of democracy”  Internet makes governments more transparent Implications on Economic Development  Internet makes markets more efficient  Internet creates jobs

Other Implications:  There is a “digital divide” which refers to the gap between people with effective access digital and information technologies, in particular the Internet, and those with very limited or no access at all.  Materialist – Post Materialist Analysis: A developing country would not focus on delivering physical and technical infrastructures for internet access to be universal if in the first place the country is suffering from materialist struggles – lack of food, shelter and clean water.

Conclusion: Internet is a medium that empowers and at the same time enables people to exercise their freedom of expression and to information. However, there are hindrances in achieving a universal access to internet as there are countries whose technological capacity and resources are limited and scarce.