Four in five say internet access is a basic right (News.com.au)

FOUR in five adults believe access to the internet is a fundamental right and half say 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 per cent 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 US 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 per cent 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 threatened to quit China, the world's biggest internet market, over strict censorship rules.

Conroy's plan may not be quite as insidious as the censorship that exits in China or Taiwan, but will it threaten companies like Google from continuing to provide services to Australians?

Should companies like Google further pressure our Government over this proposal? I think they should! It may not be a human-right, but internet access and services is not owned by Stephen Conroy (or his Government) either!

Sylvestor