While 53.6 per cent of the world’s population now uses the internet, an estimate of 3.6 billion people remain offline with Africa the region with the lowest internet usage rates. Latest statistics from the International Telecommunication Union indicate that only 28.2 per cent of Africa’s population is using the internet. The inventor of the web Sir Tim Berners-Lee intended for it to be a universal public good accessed by all people irrespective of their race, gender, class and geographical location. Therefore, it’s important to incorporate human rights principles into digital technologies designs and internet governance in order to achieve universal connectivity and full potential of the internet.
For some people online, the Internet provides a safe space for information-sharing, education, expression, mobilization and participation, unfortunately people offline cannot enjoy or take part in all these and this is a denial of their human rights. For example, as Uganda heads to the general elections in 2021 with campaigns expected to be done through ICTs, a big portion of the population in rural and remote areas remains offline and is without radio or television networks. Such voters are being denied access to information that is meant to inform their decisions when casting their votes.
The Internet has become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human progress, ensuring universal access to the internet should be a priority for all states. Principle one of the the Web Foundation’s Contract for the Web calls upon states to ensure that everyone can connect to the internet so that anyone, no matter who they are or where they live, can participate actively online. However, some states have resorted to denying their citizens this right through persistent internet shutdowns.
In June this year, while launching the UN Road Map for Digital Cooperation , the UN Secretary-General posed pertinent and thought-provoking questions about digital technology; Will it enhance or diminish human dignity and human rights? Will it make our societies become more equal or less equal? International Human Rights Law (IHRL) provides a universal set of legal frameworks that protect individuals and groups against actions that would violate human dignity. There is need for a concerted effort to leverage digital tools in regions and groups that remain offline for an inclusive digital infrastructure that will ensure development for all.
The internet is a rich source of information and knowledge and access to and availability of ICTs has been linked to academic excellence. This has put the developed world at an advantage in regards to education and research. However, in the developing world the impact of the digital divide on education has made the already weak education systems more ineffective. Access to the internet has a pertinent role in achieving inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Access to quality education is a human right and ICTs are enablers in the achievement of this goal and other Sustainable Development Goals.
Access to digital technologies remains uneven and this gap reflects and amplifies existing social, cultural and economic inequalities. COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how important internet access and affordability cannot be treated as a luxury anymore if societies are to function well and meet their development needs. When most of the world went on lockdown, almost all activities and services from work, to shopping, to education went digital and timely access to reliable health information was very important.
Many people especially women and People with Disabilities remain offline due to quite a number of reasons ranging from lack of digital skills, affordability issues, online abuse, to mention but a few. Therefore, there is need to strengthen the participation of women and other underserved groups in internet-related policy processes and spaces in a bottom-up approach to allow the collection of relevant data on the challenges that are stopping these groups from accessing and using digital technologies. Strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement and cooperation for effective participation, partnerships and collaboration of governments, the private sector, civil society, international organizations, academia and all relevant stakeholders is also very important in closing the global digital gap and ensuring that all groups of people are able to exercise their rights both online and offline. Although existing human rights treaties were signed prior to the digital age human rights are universal norms that should be respected even in the digital era. Regulating the internet has got to be in the form of protection of human rights rather than limiting access to and usage of the internet.
Very authentic article, kudos.