Great! Thanks for sharing the report. <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 8 March 2010 08:50, Parminder <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:parminder@itforchange.net">parminder@itforchange.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<h1><b><small><small><small>For the rights skeptics, if they believe in
people's verdict :)</small></small></small></b><br>
</h1>
<h1><small><small><small>(also enclosed full report )</small></small></small><br>
</h1>
<h1><small>Internet access is 'a fundamental right' </small></h1>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm</a>
<br>
</font>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><b>Almost
four in five people around the world believe
that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC
World Service suggests.</b></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The survey - of more than
27,000
adults across 26 countries - found strong support for net access on
both sides of the digital divide. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Countries such as Finland
and Estonia have already ruled that access is a human right for their
citizens. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">International bodies such
as the UN are also pushing for universal net access. </font></p>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The right to communicate
cannot be ignored," Dr Hamadoun Toure,
secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
told BBC News. </font>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">"The internet is the most
powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created." </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">He said that governments
must "regard the internet as basic infrastructure - just like roads,
waste and water". </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">"We have entered the
knowledge society and everyone must have access to participate."<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The survey, conducted by
GlobeScan for the BBC, also revealed
divisions on the question of government oversight of some aspects of
the net. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Web users questioned in
South Korea and Nigeria felt
strongly that governments should never be involved in regulation of the
internet. However, a majority of those in China and the many European
countries disagreed. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">In the UK, for example,
55% believed that there was a case for some government regulation of
the internet. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><b>Rural retreat</b></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The finding comes as the
UK government tries to push through its controversial Digital Economy
Bill. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">As
well as promising to deliver universal broadband in the UK by 2012, the
bill could also see a so-called "three strikes rule" become law. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">This
rule would give regulators new powers to disconnect or slow down the
net connections of persistent illegal file-sharers. Other countries,
such as France, are also considering similar laws.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Recently, the EU adopted
an internet freedom provision, stating that
any measures taken by member states that may affect citizen's access to
or use of the internet "must respect the fundamental rights and
freedoms of citizens". </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">In particular, it states
that EU
citizens are entitled to a "fair and impartial procedure" before any
measures can be taken to limit their net access. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The EU is also
committed to providing universal access to broadband. However, like
many areas around the world the region is grappling with how to deliver
high-speed net access to rural areas where the market is reluctant to
go. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Analysts say that is a
problem many countries will increasingly have to deal with as citizens
demand access to the net. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The BBC survey found that
87% of internet users felt internet access should be the "fundamental
right of all people". </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">More than 70% of
non-users felt that they should have access to the net. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Overall,
almost 79% of those questioned said they either strongly agreed or
somewhat agreed with the description of the internet as a fundamental
right - whether they currently had access or not. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><b>Free speech</b></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Countries such as Mexico,
Brazil and Turkey most strongly support the idea of net access as a
right, the survey found. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">More
than 90% of those surveyed in Turkey, for example, stated that internet
access is a fundamental right - more than those in any other European
Country.<br>
</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">South Korea - the most
wired country on Earth - had the greatest
majority of people (96%) who believed that net access was a fundamental
right. Nearly all of the country's citizens already enjoy high-speed
net access. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The survey also revealed
that the internet is
rapidly becoming a vital part of many people's lives in a diverse range
of nations. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">In Japan, Mexico and
Russia around three-quarters of respondents said they could not cope
without it. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Most
of those questioned also said that they believed the web had a positive
impact, with nearly four in five saying it had brought them greater
freedom. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">However, many web users
also expressed concerns. The
dangers of fraud, the ease of access to violent and explicit content
and worries over privacy were the most concerning aspects for those
questioned. </font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">A majority of users in
Japan, South Korea and
Germany felt that they could not express their opinions safely online,
although in Nigeria, India and Ghana there was much more confidence
about speaking out.<br>
</font></p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
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<pre> </pre>
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