Daniel Nations

03/08/10 09:04 AM -- Web Trends

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, the pursuit of Happiness and access to the World Wide Web."

If the Declaration of Independence were being written in today's time, it may very well have included that last bit about web access. According to a poll by the BBC World Service of 27,000 adults in 26 countries, four in five believe access to the internet is a fundamental right. And those feelings were particularly strong in China, perhaps fueled by the Chinese government's frequent censorship of the web.

What does the world think of the web? Nine in ten say it is a good place to learn and 78% believe it gives them greater freedom. Most people value the ability to find information most, while over thirty percent valued the ability to interact and communicate and twelve percent put the highest marks on entertainment.

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