Internet Access Is Not a Human Right
Internet Access Is Not a Human RightNew York Times ^ | January 4, 2012 | Vinton G. CerfPosted on Saturday, January 14, 2012 9:05:23 PM by SunkenCivFrom the streets of Tunis to Tahrir Square and beyond, protests around the world last year were built on the Internet and the many devices that interact with it… It is no surprise, then, that the protests have raised questions about whether Internet access is or should be a civil or human right…….technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself. There is a high bar for something to be considered a human right. Loosely put, it must be among the things we as humans need in order to lead healthy, meaningful lives, like freedom from torture or freedom of conscience. It is a mistake to place any particular technology in this exalted category, since over time we will end up valuing the wrong things. For example, at one time if you didn’t have a horse it was hard to make a living. But the important right in that case was the right to make a living, not the right to a horse. Today, if I were granted a right to have a horse, I’m not sure where I would put it.
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