The Internet as a Human Right: A Comparative Study

This research assesses whether, and in what manner, broader access to the internet should be recognized as a human right in contemporary international law and practice. It first outlines how established human rights instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and regional systems in Europe and the Americas, already link freedoms like expression, information, education, participation, and equality to the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. Although these documents predate the digital age, they collectively provide strong normative support. This backing helps to conceptualize meaningful internet access as a component of existing rights, rather than as a new, additional entitlement. The manuscript next analyzes how expanding digital infrastructure raises privacy and data protection challenges. It explains the tension between using data collection to serve public interests, such as health or security, and the risks of surveillance, profiling, and discrimination that result. These issues are explored through debates over contact-tracing apps, mass surveillance, and algorithmic control, illustrating their complexities. This investigation shows that, in case studies of China, India, and selected sub-Saharan African states, internet shutdowns and internet control practices operate under distinct political contexts. In all three cases, governments use technical and legal mechanisms to reduce connectivity during protests, elections, or crises. These actions are frequently in violation of their international obligations. The investigation concludes that effective enjoyment of many human rights now clearly relies on secure, affordable, and continuous access to the internet. Future legal and policy reforms at international, national, and local levels must treat internet access and digital connectivity as key conditions of human dignity and democratic accountability.

کلیدواژه ها:

Internet Access ، Human Rights ، Digital Constitutionalism ، Internet Shutdowns ، Privacy and Surveillance