Is Internet Access a Fundamental Human Right? Insights from UC Berkeley

Eric Blantz Asks: Is Internet Access a Human Right?<br />The Human Rights Center UC Berkeley - Stephens Hall<br />As the 2007 protests in Burma, the 2009-2010 post-election demonstrations in Iran, and recent events in Tunisia and Egypt have stunningly demonstrated, the Internet and mobile phones have become powerful tools to bring together those whose freedom is being denied. Social networks have been used to organize protests, and new media have been widely used to document the unfolding of those attempts at establishing a new period of rule of law and political freedom. In response to these threats, governments have successfully monitored cellphone networks and attempted to shut down Internet access, posing a threat to the security of human rights activists. This panel will discuss how people can communicate in face of a complete shutdown of key communication infrastructures imposed by their government.<br /><br />Panelists: <br /><br />Yahel Ben-David (AirJaldi.Org)<br /><br />Subramanian Lakshminarayanan (NYU)<br /><br />Eric Blantz (Inveneo)<br /><br />Kathleen Reen (Internews)