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For: Amina Seyd, 16, HHCKLA Buddhist Leung Chik Wai College
In 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council declared that access to the internet should be a basic human right. This resolution reaffirmed that “the same rights people have offline must also be protected online” and recognised the internet’s essential role in modern society.
Disparities in internet access worsen discrimination and limit education opportunities, healthcare options, economic advancement and political participation.
For example, a 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that areas in the United States with limited internet access experienced disproportionately higher Covid-19 mortality rates, highlighting how critical universal connectivity is. And while outbreaks disrupted education for all students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds were effectively excluded from online learning during the pandemic if they lacked internet access.
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The internet has become crucial for everything from freedom of expression to access to information. As Dr Merten Reglitz, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Birmingham, argues in The Chronicle for Higher Education, “The internet is necessary … to exercise our human rights in the digital age.” Denying an individual internet access can deprive them of their fundamental rights.
Recognising internet access as a human right shows a global commitment to connectivity, empowering activists and civil society to hold governments and corporations accountable for interfering with online freedoms.
One report, by political scientist Darrell M West, found that internet shutdowns between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 cost countries at least US$2.4 billion (HK$18.81 billion) in gross domestic product globally. Recognising internet access as a human right aligns with many UN Sustainable Development Goals.
While some resist the idea of internet access as a human right, digital exclusion’s substantial harm makes a compelling case for its formal recognition. Embracing this principle is a concrete step towards bridging the digital divide – including everyone.
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Against: Chan Bo-wen, 16, HKCCCU Logos Academy
A basic human right is necessary for dignified survival; what we inherently need as human beings.
Internet access is not a fundamental part of our existence; its importance pales in comparison to other basic rights. Internet access cannot be classified as inherent to a person’s survival.
Consider the other rights in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights: they are rooted in dignity and equality, aiming to preserve humanity. Would you consider access to the web to be inherently necessary to dignified human development?
Yes, access to the internet benefits one’s existence; however, it does not significantly affect cognitive or sociocultural development.
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A 2018 study on children in Peru found that providing free home internet access improved computer and internet proficiency, relative to those without laptops, but did not significantly affect maths and reading achievement, cognitive skills, self-esteem, teacher perceptions or school grades.
After all, the internet has only become widespread in the last few decades.
The importance of internet access cannot be compared to other fundamental human rights needed for dignified survival, such as shelter, education or rest. American computer scientist and pioneer Vint Cerf, recognised as one of “the fathers of the Internet”, called technology an “enabler” of rights – a pathway to realise other human rights, such as the right to free speech, but not a right in and of itself.
Human technology is progressing at a rapid pace, and the internet may very well fall into obscurity in the near future. Will we need to replace it? Would this not contradict the universal and inalienable nature of “basic rights”?
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Establishing global broadband internet access is estimated to require billions of US dollars. If internet access is classified as a basic human right, where will these resources be coming from? Should this money and time not instead be directed towards more pressing issues such as clean water or nutritious food?
In conclusion, basic human rights act as the framework for a just society. Access to the internet simply does not belong alongside these pursuits of life and liberty.
