United Nations Declares that Free Expression Online is Basic Human Right

By David Tobia
July 10, 2012

The United Nations Human Rights Council has declared Internet-based free speech and free expression as basic human rights. The ruling does not require countries to change their laws, but does establish standards by which countries will be judged.
Eileen Donahoe, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., hailed the decision as “momentous for the Human Rights Council.”
“It’s the first ever U.N. resolution affirming that human rights in the digital realm must be protected and promoted to the same extent and with the same commitment as human rights in the physical world,” she told reporters.
Although China ultimately supported the decision, ambassador Xia Jingge explained: “We believe that the free flow of information on the Internet and the safe flow of information on the Internet are mutually dependent… As the Internet develops rapidly, online gambling, pornography, violence, fraud and hacking are increasing its threat to the legal rights of society and the public.”
The decision puts Internet companies in an interesting position, as some will now expect the companies to promote freedom of speech at all costs.
But the decision does not change the fact that individual countries establish their own Internet laws. Thus, companies will likely continue to operate in accordance with local law.

No Comments Yet