The Internet has become a fundamental part of human life as it has opened a new world for millions of people across the globe. Internet is a manifestation of a never-ending cycle of innovations and creativity. The most crucial role that the Internet plays in human society is its communication tool. Men spent thousands of centuries in jungles and could not prosper because they had no communication tools. Communication is important for sharing of ideas which is the main tactic of progress in human civilization. With the Internet, Earth has become a global village where a person sitting in his skyscraper office in the United States could easily voice or video call his friend on the mountains of Tibet, jungles of Africa, deserts of Arabia, or even the glaciers of Antarctica. The influence of the Internet in human life has increased to such a level that the United States recently proposed that access to the Internet should be added as a part of fundamental human rights.
However, even in this modern world internet is censored by governments all around the world. Internet is monitored and influenced by governments to bar people from knowing what they are doing. Politicians only allow people to learn and see what they want them to know and see for their political gain. The Freedom of the Internet is becoming a huge concern, especially among the young and educated class who want to know the truth on the Internet and access every data.
Recently United Nations proposed that the Freedom of access to the Internet is a part of basic human rights. Not allowing people to access any information or data is a collective violation of basic human rights. There are thousands of examples to prove that the government is not allowing people the right to access the Internet without having any problem or without being hindered or limited.
A blogger in Syria named Anas Maarawi was arrested in 2011 after demanding the Syrian President resign. He was expressing his opinion that President failed to serve the people and should therefore leave the office. In China and Russia, the Internet is constantly monitored, and people only have access to the government’s information. Countless other examples could prove that some governments do not allow people to freely express their cultural, political, and social opinion on the Internet.
Governments get access to the personal information and conversation of people by blackmailing internet companies with strict restrictions and regulations. There is no privacy on the Internet which is also one of the basic human rights.
Internet freedom promotes dialogues and interaction between people and civilization, facilitating the exchange of ideas that bolster economic growth and trade and boost social and political developments. Censorship and restrictions stifle both expression and innovation. StromyCloud Inc. is a Texas-based non-profit organization working to provide internet freedom and access to open Internet to people across the globe. StromyCloud Inc. works on a wide range of issues from net neutrality to Freedom of expression on the Internet. This organization believes that technology has the power to fulfill constitutional ideals, and digital Freedom must be protected in the choices and designs of technology. More information on the organization can be found at https://stormycloud.org.
