Whereas "mother-tongue education" was deemed a human right for every child in
the world by a Unesco report in the early '50s, "mother-tongue surfing" may very
well be the Information Age equivalent. If the Internet is to truly become the
global network that it is promoted as being, then all users, regardless of
language background, should have access to it. To keep the Internet as the
preserve of those who, by historical accident, practical necessity, or political
privilege, happen to know English, is unfair to those who don't.