Internet – a human right?

Posted on by September 13, 2009 by Invited Contributor

Internet is the greatest engine for free speech, civic engagement, and economic growth ever known. Don´t let the big phone and cable companies – or the governments – steal this democratic tool.

Internet has changed the human communication and interaction. People not only read newspapers, watch television and listen to the radio via Internet, millions of people also meet through internet at Facebook, Twitter, IdeasForChange and other communities. People are also creating their own media and sharing them with audiences without needing any permission.

I believe that Internet could become the fundamental platform for democracy all over the world. I say ”could” since the Internet as we know it is threatened. Some governments and the big phone and cable companies want to control it, just like they do with traditional media. Remember – the past 100 years, whenever a “disruptive new technology” — such as radio or tv — sparked democratic participation, rules were created to lock it down or to stifle public participation. Will the same happen again? The big companies that control our access to the Internet want to become the Internet´s gatekeepers, deciding which sites go fast or slow and which won’t load at all — based on who pays them the most. They want to get rid of the Net Neutrality, the rule that prevents them from discriminating against online content in most democratic countries.

How does your own country´s government react on this pressure? Which decisions are on their agenda that might change the conditions for your every day Internet use?

Learn more about Net Neutrality in your country! Act to save the Internet before it´s too late!

Tina Mayer