Four in five adults believe access to the internet is a
fundamental right - with those feelings particularly strong in
South Korea and China - and half believe it should never be
regulated, according to a global survey.
A poll of 27,000 adults in 26 countries for the BBC World Service
showed 78% of internet users believed the web gave them greater
freedom, while nine in 10 said it was a good place to learn.
Respondents in the United States were above the average in
believing the internet was a source for greater freedom and they
were also more confident than most in expressing their opinions
online.
However, others felt concern about spending time online, with 65%
of respondents in Japan saying they did not feel they could express
their opinions safely online, a sentiment that was also felt in
South Korea, France, Germany and China.
The issue of internet freedoms hit the headlines earlier this year
after the world's largest search engine Google Inc threatened to
quit China, the world's biggest Internet market, over strict
censorship rules.
Of the 27,000 surveyed, more than half agreed that the internet
should never be regulated by any level of government
anywhere.
That belief was particularly strong in South Korea, Nigeria and
Mexico while residents in Pakistan, Turkey and China were the least
likely to agree, with only 12%, 13% and 16% respectively strongly
agreeing.
Google launched its China search site in 2006, and complies with
local laws requiring censorship of certain content such as
pornography and sensitive subjects such as the banned Falun Gong
spiritual movement and Tibetan independence.
Other international groups such as Microsoft and local players
including China's search leader Baidu must also comply with those
laws.
"Despite worries about privacy and fraud, people around the world
see access to the internet as their fundamental right," said Doug
Miller, the chairman of GlobeScan which conducted the survey.
"They think the Web is a force for good, and most don't want
governments to regulate it."
Over 70% of respondents in Japan, Mexico and Russia said they could
not live without the internet.
Almost 50% of those who used the internet said they most valued the
ability to find information.
Over 30% valued the ability to interact and communicate with
others while 12% saw it as a source for entertainment.
Of the areas of concern, the poll found that fraud was the greatest
worry, ahead of violent and explicit content and threats to
privacy.
