United Nations votes to extend human rights to the internet

Last minute lobbying by China and Russia fails to stop UN internet-freedom vote

The United Nations has voted to extend human rights to the internet in a vote on Friday, which had been put back by a day following frantic last-minute lobbying by officials from China and Russia.

The vote extends human rights theoretically enjoyed offlline to the internet. But China and Russia opposed the vote, primarily on the grounds of the resolution's call for an open and accessible internet, and to uphold people's rights to freedom of expression.

Diplomats from China and Russia tabled four amendments in order to remove passages to ensure citizen access to the internet, and references to freedom of speech.

Countries that lined up to support the amendments included the usual autocracies, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but also democracies India, Kenya and South Africa, which could have been expected to support the United Nation's aims.

However, these amendments were rejected and the resolution passed.

The motion asserted "the need for human rights to underpin internet governance and that rights that people have offline must also be protected online".

It continues: "The exercise of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression, on the internet is an issue of increasing interest and importance as the rapid pace of technological development enables individuals all over the world to use new information and communication technologies."

It also called for governments to support online privacy as a fundamental right and to allow citizens "to hold opinions without interference and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association".

The resolution, which had been promoted by pressure group Article 19, comes as governments across the world ratchet up their controls of, and surveillance over, the internet. The UK, for example, will shortly pass the Investigatory Powers Bill, which will require internet service providers to maintain records of users' internet usage that police and other government authorities will be able to access.

Russia, meanwhile, has recently passed draconian new laws that could see bloggers jailed for expressing opinions online. The new law requires bloggers to register with the government, enabling the Russian government to easily track dissenting voices. Earlier this year, Russian president Vladimir Putin had described the internet as "a special CIA project", justifying his government's crackdown on internet freedoms.