Is connectivity a basic human right?

Lazarus Sauti

Technology writer Meghan Neal once asked: “As decreed by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human beings have the right to free expression, to culture, to equality, to life, liberty, and security. Do we need to add one more - the right to internet?”

The United Nations believes that Internet access is a basic human right that should be guaranteed and protected by states and affirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one’s choice.

The prevailing sentiment is that without access to the web it is increasingly hard to exercise these basic freedoms - making connectivity itself a right by extension.

Considering that two-thirds of the world is not online, that would mean a big chunk of the population is being denied their basic rights, which is one of the reasons so many technology heavyweights, governments, and nonprofits organisations are determined to bridge the digital divide.

This triggers one to ask Neal’s question again, “Is connectivity a basic human right?”

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg believes connectivity is a human right, and making it happen “is one of the greatest challenges of our generation.”

Zuckerberg announced in August 2013 that he aimed to get every person on the planet online.

In a document “Is Connectivity a Human Right?” Zuckerberg says: “There is no guarantee that most people will ever have access to the internet. It is not going to happen by itself. But I believe connectivity is a human right, and that if we work together we can make it a reality.”

He goes on to say, “The internet not only connects us to our friends, families and communities, but it is also the foundation of the global knowledge economy.

“… In a detailed analysis, McKinsey has shown that the internet now accounts for a larger percent of GDP in many developed countries than agriculture and energy.

“It has also accounted for 21 percent of GDP growth in developed countries in the past five years, increasing rapidly from just10 percent over the past 15 years.

“About 75 percent of the gains are experienced by companies outside of the technology industry. And the internet creates jobs, with 2.6 new jobs being created for every job lost to gained efficiencies.”

David Salway, Program Director of the New York State Broadband Program, concurs with Zuckerberg and says that disconnecting individuals from the Internet is a violation of human rights and goes against international law.

The United Nations emphasises the importance of broadband and Internet access.

“The Internet is one of the most powerful instruments of the 21^st century for increasing transparency in the conduct of the powerful, access to information, and for facilitating active citizen participation in building democratic societies.

“As such, facilitating access to the Internet for all individuals, with as little restriction to online content as possible, should be a priority for all States.

". . . By acting as a catalyst for individuals to exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Internet also facilitates the realisation of a range of other human rights,” says the UN.

According to Zuckerberg, any plan to make internet access broadly available will require making significant technology and business model improvements that enable some access to be either very cheap or free for people who cannot otherwise afford it.

This means, to accept that affordable Internet access is a basic human right; African countries need to be willing to confront the challenges, and do something about it.

African governments should, therefore, ensure access to broadband to their respective citizens and for this to be effective, private players have a role to play.

Oliver Bell, Microsoft’s chief technology officer overseeing humanitarian and development activities, says: “The private sector has a crucial role to play in establishing telecommunications infrastructure in the developing world.

It is also critical for all developmental players in Africa and other developing nations to focus on: making internet access affordable by making it more efficient to deliver data; using less data by improving the efficiency of the applications and experiences we use; and helping businesses drive internet access by developing new models to get people online.

The issue of connectivity being a basic human right is debatable but Zuckerberg sums it this way, “I think that connecting the world will be one of the most important things we all do in our lifetimes, and I am thankful every day to have the opportunity to work with all of you to make this a reality.”