A survey conducted by GlobeScan for BBC World Service, showed that 87% of internet users worldwide believe that internet access should be made a fundamental right for all people. The survey also said more than 70% of non-users feel they should have access to the internet. The survey was conducted across 26 countries, including India with over 27,000 adults participants. South Korea, which is the most wired country on Earth had 96% of people, the greatest majority who believe that internet access was their fundamental right. In Japan, Mexico and Russia around 75% of respondents said they could not cope without internet. Most of those surveyed also said that they believed the web had a positive impact, with nearly four in five saying it had brought them greater freedom.

It may be known that countries such as Finland and Estonia have already ruled that access to internet is a human right for their citizens. Finland last year enacted a law to make broadband access a legal right from July 2010. Finland, which is home to Nokia mobile phones also plans to make a 100Mbps broadband connection a legal right by the end of 2015. Finland is already one of the world’s most connected countries, with 96% of its citizens online. France also made internet access a basic human right but stopped short of making broadband access a legal right. Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary general, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said. 93The internet is the most powerful potential source of enlightenment ever created,94 he also said that governments must 93regard the internet as basic infrastructure — just like roads, waste and water94.

Nearly 75% of respondents in Japan, Mexico and Russia confessed they could not deal without the virtual world. However the dangers of the online world, such as fraud, the ease of access to violent and explicit content and privacy worries, were amongst the most concerning aspects. However a majority of users in Japan, South Korea and Germany also said they were afraid to express their opinions safely online, where as internet users in Nigeria, India and Ghana felt much more confident about speaking out online.