Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Keywords

Open Data, Open Government, Internet Rights, Internet Access, Copyright, New Zealand, New Zealand Bill Of Rights, Right To Seek Receive And Impact Information, Freedom Of Information

Abstract

Recently, ideas about "rights" to Internet access or connectivity have received growing recognition from governments, legal institutions, and other political actors in several countries, including New Zealand Despite this emerging political and legal recognition, there are few, if any, systematic studies exploring such ideas. This paper aims to change this. First, it offers a theoretical exploration of the idea of a "right" to Internet access, including the diferent versions of such rights talk. Secondly, it examines whether there is any legal basis for such rights claims in New Zealand and ultimately argues that section 14 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights offers a legal basis for a certain kind of right to Internet connectivity, as well as a legal basis to claim wider access - via the Internet or other mediums - to government information. Some concrete implications, both legal and political, of these findings are also explored.

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