1. Internet access is a human right
Report Submitted
By
Student
University

2. Introduction
If the family life moves from one country to another or from one place to another, online or
the web becomes the important things of life and becomes the home of free expressions. The
question is now that can the right of access internet be prevented or not? The answer is that it
is very difficult to prevent individuals to going online by the courts and laws. United Nations
Human Rights Council Report examined a very important question that whether internet
access to all people is considered as human rights or not. It is clear in this world that the
technology is advancing faster than anyone in the world and in that the use of the internet
technology can’t be ignored anyhow. Technology and philosophy collide together on a point
of internet access as human rights or simply a privilege to human beings. Vinton G. Cerf,
considered as the father of internet in his book titles “Internet access is not a human right” are
seems as quite compelling.
This statement starts a fight over the internet rights as whether it is human rights or not. It is
not necessary to define the word “Human Rights” but the things are to understand clearly as
the future vision as internet access. There is a fight among the different experts and to the
government that whether internet access is human right or not. This report aims to the
analysis towards the internet access as human right with this pros and cons based on the
evidence available to support the issue. The different section of the report based on the
researchers’ point of view has been discussed to get the decision as internet access as human
rights.

3. Internet Access is Human Rights?
As reported by Vinton G.Cerf of New York Times on 08 Feb 2012, about internet access as
human right in Reston that the number of people protested in favour of human rights as
internet access because the people realized that this thing in absence of internet never
happened in case of communication, organize and publicize everywhere in seconds. This
issue occurred because some countries clamped down the internet access. For the past few
years in the European countries, the government there announced that internet access is a
human right. The best way to characterize human rights is to identify the outcomes that we
are trying to ensure. Internet is just a tool for getting information that are important but as
because of increasing misuse of internet questions about the internet access should be human
right or not? The fundamental answer as the technology development itself creates human to
support themselves and the civil rights. In this context it can be said that the engineers not
only have the right to empower users but there is also a responsibility of the engineers to
ensure safety of the users online. Improving internet helps in improving the human conditions
and internet access as human rights. The researches have presented how the internet access is
important in this technological advance world. But on the other hand it is making sure about
the safety and security for the users while browsing over the internet for more good
information. The below reading from the academic journals about the internet access as
human rights has been analysed in order to understand the issue more closely. These points
describes how the researchers are thinking and analysing about the internet access seem as
human rights.
1st point: Can the Internet be a Human Right?
i.
“Thus, appropriate information technology is certainly part of my information right.
But what, then, privileges the Internet as one such information technology? We know

4. that the Internet is a powerful tool in the service of various human rights.” (Michael L.
Best, 2000, p.276)
ii.
In this dot com world the information is considered as power of knowledge and that
best source to get the information is the internet. The author describe as unexplained
symmetry in the internet world for the human rights. Internet access as human rights
is described as the freedom of expression that is important for every human in the
world.
2nd point: It’s in Support of Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance.
i.
“Supporting for Human rights by the government have been introduced in some
countries but in other countries it is still very limited because of the misuse of the
information over the internet” (Selian, A.N. 2002. Pp.56-71)
ii.
Internet access is not only a powerful information but it also a place where the
confidential information are leaked and causes issues to the human life and to the
specific country or even the terrorist activities come in to picture. It is important to
analyse what is the need of the internet in the concern region and then allow it as
the human right for internet access.
3. 3rd point: Internet Regulation and role of International Law
i.
“Given the virtual nature of the existence is as the internet dot com world. The
first most important legal discussion about the internet is its natural resistance to
the regulation as internet access is human rights or not”. (Antonio Segura Serrano,
2006, pp. 191-272)
ii.
Regulability of the internet is important but it is also to ensure the safety of the
online users. It is clear from the evident that freedom of expression is a human
right so in that reference if the person express his freedom over the internet, it will

5. not be human right? From the inception of the internet it is a debate to the world
about the internet access as human rights.
These three points describe about the human rights towards the internet access. It analyse that
internet gives the lot of good information but it is important to analyse and find whether the
internet access should be civil rights or just a privilege to few. It is a big question of debate
for the long time but till yet not the correct decision or solution have been suggested but yes
in few countries like European areas there have been granted access to the internet as
mentioned as internet access as human rights. There have been put some limitations to the use
of the internet access for the teenager or students because the information they get over
internet are not useful and seem to be harmful but still internet access is considered as human
rights and that is true. The more problem is in the developing countries because of the less
knowledge of hot use the internet and get the right information. So in these countries the
internet access is still considered not as human rights. Internet access is the way to get the
academic, business and other related information that gives strength to empower the internet
dot com world.
List of 3 Peer-Reviewed Journals:
1. Yaman Akdeniz, 2010, To block or not to block: European approaches to
content regulation, and implications for freedom of expression, Computer Law
& Security Review, Pages 260-272
2. Patricia S. Wall, Lee Sarver, 2003, Disabled student access in an era of
technology, The Internet and Higher Education, Pages 277-284
3. Johannes M. Bauer, Michel Berne, Carleen F. Maitland, 2002, Internet access
in the European Union and in the United States, Telematics and Informatics,
Pages 117-137
Conclusion

6. Internet is a word that has removed the limit for the sharing information and knowledge. It
gives access to human to share the information with others, communicate with others and
publicize. In many research it has been found that internet has more advantages than the loss
and that has been accepted by the government and information technology world. There is
need to ensure the safety and security over the internet and for that the engineers have
obligations to fulfil that. Internet access as human rights is still a debate in the information
technology world because now it is the most important need of the human, government and
industries. Academic are now based on the internet information so it will be a right cause for
the internet access to give human rights. As reported by number of Information technology
experts that this might harm to the teenagers if there is no safety and security regulations are
made. It is recommended that there should be declare by the government and experts the
internet access as human rights but under the safety regulation.
References
1. Kedzie, C.R. 1997. “Communication and Democracy: Coincident Revolutions and the
Emergent Dictator’s Dilemma.” RAND Document No: RGSD-127.
2. Saltzer, J.H., D.P. Reed and D.D. Clark. 1984. “End-to-end arguments in system
design.” ACM Transactions on Computer Systems
3. Kravets, David (June 3, 2011). "U.N. Report Declares Internet Access a Human
Right". Wired
4. Christopher H. Smith, The Internet in China, Cong. Rec., Feb. 28, 2006
5. Mason Richard O, Four ethical issues of the information age, MIS Quarterly, 10 (1)
(1986) 5-12
6. Jorgensen Rikke Frank, Human Rights in the Global Information Society, edited by
Rikke Frank Jorgensen (The MIT Press, Canada), 2006, p. 55.
7. Baxi Upendra in The Future of Human Rights, (Oxford University Press, Delhi),
2008, p. 234, 268-9.