Estonia: Where the Internet is a Human Right

Where an enlightened post-Soviet era government believes the Internet is essential for life in the 21st century and backs that up with legislation declaring Internet access is a human right. Estonia is a country where hot, running water was a luxury a decade ago. It’s now a place where farmers have broadband Internet, 80% of the people use online banking, Internet usage and broadband penetration rates are comparable to Western Europe, and the government conducts most business virtually through a system of networked computers. Not bad for a country that only ten years ago was a crumbling, bankrupt mess with a network infrastructure to match