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Internet Access - a human right? Finn Tarp's interview by Finnish Broadcasting Company

Each day there are over 4 billion searches on Google, while nearly 4 billion people do not have access to the internet. ‘If we do nothing, some people will be left behind. And if some people are left behind it leads to social problems and increasing tension’, says Finn Tarp, Director of UNU-WIDER.

Finn Tarp was interviewed about internet access and technology use in developing countries by the Finnish Broadcasting company. Currently, 60% of the world’s population is unconnected and the worrying fact is that most of them are among the world’s poorest people.

Technology use and internet access promotes development and economic activity in many ways. Tarp brings examples from Vietnam; for instance farmers may benefit from internet use or mobile applications to predict weather conditions, as well as to be up-to-date on market prices of their agricultural produce. By having access to and making use of this technology, the productivity of agriculture could increase significantly.

Tarp underlines that there is a need for major investments in training and resources to teach people to use technology. He says internet access can be assimilated to human rights: ‘The right to a decent life, a fundamental right of all. Access to the Internet is an increasingly important part of social life, and thus one can say it is a human right’.

Read full article (in Swedish):

Internet Access - a human right? (Tillgång till internet - en mänsklig rättighet?)