‘Internet access a basic fundamental right’

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – A top executive of social media giant Facebook has rallied for wider access to Internet connectivity worldwide, calling it a basic fundamental right like food and shelter.

“There are a lot of people who do not have access. There are four billion people without internet access today,” Facebook vice president of global marketing solutions Carolyn Everson said during the One Young World summit here last week.

“We believe that those people are falling further behind – economically, from an education point of view, from access to healthcare, even basic things that we may think for granted which is to look up the weather,” she added.

Everson noted various efforts of the company to connect more people, including free Internet access in various countries.

“There will not be one solution. This will be an ongoing effort that will take years, if not decades. But are deeply committed to ensuring that every human being has access to the internet,” said the Facebook executive.

“We believe that this is a fundamental human right – just as much as access is to basic food and shelter… Once you have access, amazing things happen,” she said.

In her speech, she also lamented the limitations of connectivity, noting the growing isolationism despite having a more connected world.

“The world has actually not necessarily come together the way we had envisioned. We see the rise of nationalism, of isolationism. We see countries wanting to pull apart and just worry about their own,” said Everson.

“It wasn’t just enough to connect billions of people. We needed to find a way to connect people together for the greater good,” she said.

Everson urged those in attendance to use Facebook and other online platforms to advocate for a better world.

“You keep going because the world needs you. The world needs you now more than they’ve ever needed you before,” she said.