The Internet has represented a precious opportunity in the strategies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Otherwise the repercussions of the so-called “social distancing” on the economic, social and psychological level would have been much more devastating. This has brought back to public attention the issue of the right of access to the Internet, whose inclusion in the Constitution has been under discussion for a decade. Initially, the right to access the Internet was conceived mainly in terms of freedom of expression, but today the dominant doctrine tends to qualify it as a social right, which presupposes performance obligations on the part of public institutions. At the same time, however, the prevailing opinion is that a specific reference to the Internet in the Constitution is not necessary, since the foundation of the right of access is rooted in the already existing constitutional provisions (in particular, in Articles 2, 3 and 21). Instead, this paper conclusively supports the thesis of the advisability of mentioning digital networks or cyberspace in the Constitution – preferably among the fundamental principles – without however using the term Internet, which refers to a specific technological infrastructure and is therefore, as such, contingent.
Internet ha rappresentato una preziosa opportunità nelle strategie di contrasto alla pandemia da Covid-19. Certamente in sua assenza le ripercussioni del cosiddetto “distanziamento sociale” sul piano economico, sociale e psicologico sarebbero state ben più devastanti. Ciò ha riproposto all’attenzione pubblica il tema del diritto di accesso a Internet, del cui inserimento in Costituzione si discute da un decennio. Se inizialmente il diritto di accesso a Internet era concepito soprattutto in termini di libertà di espressione, oggi la dottrina dominante tende a qualificare l’accesso a Internet come diritto sociale, che presuppone obblighi di prestazione in capo alle istituzioni pubbliche. Nello stesso tempo, però, prevale l’opinione che uno specifico richiamo a Internet in Costituzione non sia necessario, potendosi rinvenire il fondamento del diritto di accesso nelle disposizioni costituzionali già esistenti (in particolare, negli artt. 2, 3 e 21). Nelle conclusioni di questo scritto si sostiene, invece, la tesi dell’opportunità di prevedere in Costituzione – preferibilmente fra i principi fondamentali – il riferimento alle reti digitali o al ciberspazio, senza però utilizzare il termine Internet, che si riferisce a una specifica infrastruttura tecnologica e quindi, come tale, contingente.
Il diritto di accesso a Internet: profili costituzionali / Allegri, Maria Romana. - In: MEDIA LAWS. - ISSN 2532-9146. - 1:1(2021), pp. 57-80.
Il diritto di accesso a Internet: profili costituzionali
Maria Romana Allegri
2021
Abstract
The Internet has represented a precious opportunity in the strategies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Otherwise the repercussions of the so-called “social distancing” on the economic, social and psychological level would have been much more devastating. This has brought back to public attention the issue of the right of access to the Internet, whose inclusion in the Constitution has been under discussion for a decade. Initially, the right to access the Internet was conceived mainly in terms of freedom of expression, but today the dominant doctrine tends to qualify it as a social right, which presupposes performance obligations on the part of public institutions. At the same time, however, the prevailing opinion is that a specific reference to the Internet in the Constitution is not necessary, since the foundation of the right of access is rooted in the already existing constitutional provisions (in particular, in Articles 2, 3 and 21). Instead, this paper conclusively supports the thesis of the advisability of mentioning digital networks or cyberspace in the Constitution – preferably among the fundamental principles – without however using the term Internet, which refers to a specific technological infrastructure and is therefore, as such, contingent.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.