ABSTRACT
The subject of the chapter is to characterize the legal position of a person under Polish law who voluntarily decides not to use the Internet. In the Polish public debate, much attention is paid to countering digital exclusion, but the legal basis for refusing to use the Internet and the consequences of this decision for the individual are not further addressed. And yet, protective measures also require equipping state bodies with adequate powers to protect individuals from coercion in using the Internet. Thus, the legal basis for the right of refusal to use the Internet in Polish law will be examined in this chapter. The authors are going to establish the legal framework that shall determine the obligation on the part of public authorities to provide everyone the possibility of refusing to use it. Possible deficiencies in this regard will form the basis for the formulation of de lege ferenda postulates. The scope of the right not to use the Internet will be examined from two perspectives, i.e., in relation to vertical relations (individual–public authority) and in horizontal relations (individual–individual). The aim of this research is to determine to what extent Polish law respects Internet denial in these two categories of legal relations.
