STAVANGER, Norway — A convicted sex offender is asking the Norwegian Supreme Court to declare social media access is a human right.The case before the court Thursday involves a man who molested a minor and used the Snapchat messaging app to connect with young boys.The unnamed offender was sentenced last year to 13 months in prison and banned from using Snapchat for two years.His lawyers argue that depriving him of his account is unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights.
If the Supreme Court also upholds the decision, the offender could attempt to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.The European convention has been used before to test the limits on Norwegian justice. Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right extremist who murdered 77 people in 2011, lost a court challenge in February that argued being held in isolation while serving his prison sentence amounted to inhumane punishment under the convention.