ABSTRACT
There can be no doubt that the internet is at once a development issue and a human rights issue. As a developmental issue, it brings to the fore the global and local socio-economic divides. As a human rights issue, it implicates the full range of rights, including socio-economic rights, civil and political rights and third-generation rights. On the one hand, access to the internet is key to facilitating development and the realisation and protection of human rights. On the other hand, the internet can be used to commit human rights violations such as cyberviolence and crime, political and socio-economic domination and many other forms of exploitation. It follows that addressing in full the challenges the internet raises for human rights and development is critical to unlocking the full potential of the internet. This book has shown that while African states have acknowledged the link between the internet, development and human rights and have taken a wide range of measures, collectively and individually, to harness this link for the benefit of Africans, much more could be done. The spectrum of issues the internet raises for development and human rights is plainly vast. This calls for more research on this fast-emerging research field.
