UN Declares Internet Access A Human Right

[Niall Fernie]

No one seems to have brought this up so I thought I would.

A couple of articles to give you the gist:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9509215.stm

http://singularityhub.com/2011/06/12/un-declares-internet-access-a-human-right-but-fast-and-cheap-may-be-as-important-as-open/

[ducati]

How can it be a human right if not everyone can have access for a great many reasons other than being denied it?

[RecQuery]

...and cue reductionist, zero-sum arguments.

Anyway yeah I think it should be a human right. Much as I lament the eternal-September/eternal-Christmas the Internet has become too much a part of essential social interaction. I'm not saying everyone should have a free OC12 connection, but the ability to obtain services or use public terminals should not be denied.

[oldmarine]

Good gosh! What will the UN get into next? They appear to have become a political organization.

[changilass]

There is folks starving, without a roof over their heads, no access to medicines, and some numpty thinks that internet access is so bliddy important. Me thinks they need to sort out priorities.

[RecQuery]

There is folks starving, without a roof over their heads, no access to medicines, and some numpty thinks that internet access is so bliddy important. Me thinks they need to sort out priorities.

There we go there's that reductionist, zero-sum stuff, I was expecting that. By that argument no one can do or complain about anything because someone will always be worse off (where's the Handicapper-General when you need her). There are people in the world that are starving, why do we need fair trials or freedom of expression (!)

[changilass]

As you were expecting it, then I am glad I didn't disapoint you.

[ducati]

There we go there's that reductionist, zero-sum stuff, I was expecting that. By that argument no one can do or complain about anything because someone will always be worse off (where's the Handicapper-General when you need her). There are people in the world that are starving, why do we need fair trials or freedom of expression (!)

Hey up there! You need to match velocities with the real world

[robglysen]

So its a human right, does that count for say, paedophiles in prison?

All the old people who cant afford to heat themselves can at least read Kate Price's twitters as they die of cold.

Lets give the internet to everyone once its policed properly, at the mo its like the wild west, with bigger guns.

[RecQuery]

So its a human right, does that count for say, paedophiles in prison?

All the old people who cant afford to heat themselves can at least read Kate Price's twitters as they die of cold.

Lets give the internet to everyone once its policed properly, at the mo its like the wild west, with bigger guns.

Argh it's supposed to be the wild west, this attitude scares me: see net neutrality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality). China has a pretty well policed Internet and I think they allow access to 17 approved sites and that's it. As I've said you don't need to give everyone an Internet connection, just the ability to obtain services or use public terminals. BTW who would you have police the Internet; there's a recent illustrative example of those annoying mumsnet users being in favour of blocking 'adult' content (cue shrill cries of won't-someone-please-think-of-the-children) but they backed down when the government body in favour of it wanted to class breast feeding as an adult activity. Onto the tecnicalities, any blocking or policing really wouldn't affect anyone with even average technical ability there are tons of ways around it for those who know what they're doing so.

It's not a this or that situation you can strive for Internet access as a human right in addition to other things. Taking away from one or adding to it doesn't mean more or less resources for the other.

No one said the ability to stay warm was a human right, not when there are people starving in the world (!) - annoying isn't it.

BTW most prisoners have some form of Internet access via internal libraries or common rooms, also that's called a strawman argument.

EDIT: Forgot to mention it, but Estonia, France, Finland, Greece and Spain already have Internet access as a human right.

[ducati]

Anyway, what does it mean as a human right? Does it mean anyone who wants it can have it?

Or does it mean you have to have it whether you want it or not? And does it mean you can't take it away as a punishment, say for kids or convicts.

Seems a bit barmy giving such a flawed information system as a human right when say, a library card or learning history at school isn't :roll: