Greeks are more opposed than any other people to the implementation of government controls on the Internet and the majority of them consider access to it a fundamental right. However, they do not feel comfortable expressing themselves
Greeks are the people most strongly opposed to the use of government Internet controls by 84%, according to a poll conducted by Globescan on behalf of the BBC World News Network.
The conclusions of the same poll show that although Greek citizens do not seem comfortable feeling that they are openly expressing their views on the Internet, they believe that the Internet should be a fundamental right of everyone.
The poll consisted of two parts: questions about growing concerns about the spread of fake news on the Internet and government intervention in controlling Internet use.
The Internet should not be controlled by governments
The survey was conducted in citizens of 18 countries, where 79% of respondents said they were worried about what was fake and what was true on the Internet. On the other hand, the majority of citizens in China and Britain responded that they want governments to play the role of regulator on the Internet.
The survey was conducted by Globescan on a representative sample of 16.000 adults between January and April of this year. The BBC conducted a similar survey in 2010.
The survey results show that 58% of respondents do not agree with the implementation of Internet controls by governments, compared to 51% who answered the same question 7 years ago. In China, however, 67% said they supported the idea of government intervention, compared with 53% in Britain.
In this question, Greece is the country with the largest percentage (84%) of citizens who strongly oppose the implementation of Internet controls by governments, followed by Nigeria with 82%.
The phenomenon of fake news
Concerns about what is real and what is not on the Internet are growing, especially in the last year where the term "fake news" has become commonplace. This phenomenon also seems to be particularly lucrative for some who share fake news on Facebook earning large sums of money from ads.
On this issue, Brazilian citizens are the ones who expressed the greatest concerns, with 92%, followed by Indonesia with 90%, Nigeria with 88% and Kenya with 85%. In Germany this percentage is much lower, 51%, since in preparation for the upcoming elections great efforts have been made to eliminate fake news.
Globescan President Doug Miller said: "These findings show that the age of fake news can play a very important role in degrading electronic information, especially after Edward Snowden's revelations about National Service surveillance programs. US Department of Homeland Security (NSA) ".
In addition, the survey shows that there are strong concerns about freedom of speech on the Internet and whether citizens can express their views without censorship. 53% of respondents said they did not feel safe doing so, compared to 49% who answered the same question in 2010.
However, there was a large gap in views between developed and developing countries. In Nigeria, Peru and China, the majority of citizens said they were confident in expressing their views freely on the Internet. On the other hand, citizens in Europe and North America have strongly expressed their concerns on this issue, with Greeks and French reluctant to express their views freely on the Internet.
As the use of the Internet grows worldwide, so does the belief that the Internet should be a right for everyone. 53% of respondents agreed that Internet access should be a fundamental right, with the highest rates supporting this view recorded in Greece, Brazil and India.
The research also highlights some differences between men and women regarding their attitude towards the Internet. In the last six months, 78% of men seem to have used the Internet, compared to 71% of women. In addition, women responded that they felt less secure expressing their views on the Internet. These concerns are more pronounced in developed countries, with only 14% in France feeling safe, 36% in Britain and 35% in the US.
The French and the Greeks are the two western peoples who feel less secure in expressing themselves openly on the Internet, at 82% and 75% respectively.
Photo: AP Photo / Manu Fernandez, File
Source: News247