--- title: "Professor Claims Internet Access Should Be a Human Right" description: "In a study published this week, a lecturer argues that the internet is \"necessary to enable the realisation of human rights and the promotion of democracy.\"" date: "2019-11-13" modified: "2019-11-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/internet-access-human-right" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "Human Rights" - "internet access" - "the digest" - "universal internet" --- # Professor Claims Internet Access Should Be a Human Right ![In a study published this week, a lecturer argues that the internet is "necessary to enable the realisation of human rights and the promotion of democracy."]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* ## Basic Human Right It's easy to take access to uncensored internet for granted. Now, academics are arguing that internet access should be a basic human right. In a [new study]() published this week in the *Journal of Applied Philosophy*, University of Birmingham ethicist Merten Reglitz makes the case that the internet is "necessary to enable the realisation of human rights and the promotion of democracy." ## No Access Reglitz isn't the first to suggest something similar. The Human Rights Council of the United Nations [declared]() internet access a basic human right back in 2016, though according to the latest estimates [almost half]() of the global population has zero access to the web. Even worse, many countries around the world have opted to [censor information]() online, and in some rare instances [shut down]() access entirely during political unrest. And that's inherently a human rights violation — or at least could enable governments to hide other human rights violations, according to Reglitz. ## Turning Tide Reglitz concludes that internet "is not merely a luxury for those who can afford it but instead is necessary for individuals to lead minimally decent lives." His argument: basic freedoms including the freedom of expression, information, and assembly are inherently undermined if not everybody has access. Luckily, Reglitz's opinion won't fall on deaf ears. Several initiatives — including SpaceX's [Starlink]() satellite internet initiative — are trying to bring internet to those who aren't currently able to access it. **READ MORE:** [Free internet access 'should be a basic human right', study suggests]() \[*Yahoo News*\] **More on internet access:** *[Universal Internet Access Is at Least 30 Years Away, Say Experts]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()