According to a new survey four fifths of adults around the world believe that internet access is now a fundamental human right rather than a privilege.
More than 27,000 people across 26 countries were questioned for the BBC World Service study which also looked at wider attitudes towards the internet.
It found that more than half of those questioned did not believe there should be any form of government regulation over the internet at all and that fraud was the aspect of the net that caused users most concern.
Less than half of the respondents felt that the internet was a safe place to voice opinions but 44 per cent of people admitted that they would not be able to cope without it.
