Tim Berners-Lee Wants To Make Internet Access a Human Right, Criticizes Internet-Affecting Legislation
Not everyone is able to use the power of Internet, and founder of the Web Tim Berners-Lee wants to change that. He urged that access to Internet should be regarded as a basic human right.
Lee also criticized the growing censorship by governments and commercial manipulation. He added that around 38 percent of states denied free Internet use to citizens.
"It's time to recognize the Internet as a basic human right," he said in a statement.
"That means guaranteeing affordable access for all, ensuring Internet packets are delivered without commercial or political discrimination, and protecting the privacy and freedom of Web users regardless of where they live."
The top 10 countries with the greatest overall scores in those areas are 1) Denmark, 2) Finland, 3) Norway, 4) the UK/Northern Ireland, 5) Sweden, 6) the U.S., 7) Iceland, 8) South Korea, 9) the Netherlands, and 10) Belgium. The lowest-ranked countries included 77) Benin, 78) Mozambique, 79) Burkina Faso, 80) Sierra Leone, 81) Haiti, 82) Mali, 83) Cameroon, 84) Yemen, 85) Myanmar and 86) Ethiopia.
On a scale of 0 to 100, the U.S. ranked 75.83 in universal access, 81.04 in freedom and openness, 98.32 in relevant content and 99.81 in empowerment, according to the report.
Berners-Lee also called former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden a "hero" for publicly leaking information about U.S. and UK surveillance of Internet and cellphone traffic.
