A new non-binding resolution from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has declared that public Internet access should not be disrupted by governments or governmental agencies. While not quite declaring access to the Internet a human right, the statement does affirm that the same rights people have offline should also be protected online – in particular, the aspect of freedom of expression covered by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
[i]China and Russia, for example, are already well known for enacting Internet shutdowns – with China’s infamous “Great Firewall” being the prime example of something that runs directly counter to this new declaration. Turkey is a recent addition to this ignominious club.