ReadWriteWeb

The Arab Spring has seemed to have inspired a death bed confession in favor of free speech on the part of the United Nations. After introducing and passing a resolution condemning blasphemous speech, the U.N. recently reversed that decision.

Now, the United Nations has proclaimed that Internet access itself is a human right.

UN seal photo by Julian Rotela Rosow

Wealthier households are more likely to use the Internet on any given day than those in lower income brackets, according to the latest research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Ninety five percent of households earning over $75,000 a year use the Internet at least occasionally, compared with 70% of those living in households below that income level. The study offers a more nuanced view than simply "the poor can't afford it," pointing to disparities at various income levels.

This year's OneWebDay, on Tuesday, September 22, has the slogan "One Web. For All." It's geared to raising awareness of and generating discussion on the digital divide, a topic that seems to me to have drifted out of fashion in recent years.

("One Web. For All." also has the virtue of being a shorter, catchier slogan than the one being pushed by the telecommunications industry: "Two Webs. One a Really Fast Super-Premium Web, and the Other One for You.")