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The Human Right to Free Internet Access
Author(s) -
Reglitz Merten
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of applied philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.339
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-5930
pISSN - 0264-3758
DOI - 10.1111/japp.12395
Subject(s) - entitlement (fair division) , the internet , human rights , internet privacy , promotion (chess) , law and economics , political science , law , business , sociology , computer science , world wide web , computer network , politics
Abstract In 2016, the United Nation's General Assembly adopted a non‐binding resolution regarding ‘The Promotion, Protection and Enjoyment of Human Rights on the Internet’. At the heart of this resolution is the UN's concern that rights that people have offline must also be protected online. While the UN thus recognises the importance of the Internet, it problematically does so selectively by focusing on protecting existing offline rights online. I argue instead that Internet access is itself a moral human right that requires that everyone has unmonitored and uncensored access to this global medium, which should be publicly provided free of charge for those unable to afford it. Rather than being a mere luxury, Internet access should be considered a universal entitlement because it is necessary for people to be able to lead minimally decent lives. Accepting this claim transforms our conception of the Internet from a technology to that of a basic right.