Internet is a Basic Human Right

I am very proud to see that the Top French Court ruled that the Internet is a basic human right.

France's highest court has inflicted an embarrassing blow to President Sarkozy by cutting the heart out of a law that was supposed to put France in the forefront of the fight against piracy on the internet.

The Constitutional Council declared access to the internet to be a basic human right, directly opposing the key points of Mr Sarkozy's law, passed in April, which created the first internet police agency in the democratic world.

The Constitutional Council is France's top court. They rule on matters of constitutionality regarding laws that come before them.

I must agree with them that, in this point of time in democracy, access to the information on the internet is vital to everyone. It should be a basic human right.

That is not to say that it should not be regulated. We should take time to fight piracy and restrict minors from viewing obscene materials. Striking that balance between freedom and security is, as it is with many issues, key to the success of the internet and of the people who use it to get information.