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>If your "human rights" can be negated by the power going out, they are quite weak. That's a pretty weak argument. If the power goes out due to a storm, no one

>If your "human rights" can be negated by the power going out, they are quite weak. That's a pretty weak argument. If the power goes out due to a storm, no one is depriving you of your human rights. If the power is cut with the explicit purpose of denying you access to the Internet, that's a different story. The intention behind the statement "Internet access is a human right" is that governments should not have the right to disconnect Internet service in order to oppress their population. It has nothing to do with forcing someone to use the Internet or making sure it's always available no matter what. Actually I think the entire comment is weak... the Internet is not "a network of private systems", there are plenty of publicly-owned websites. Government websites are just one example, and these government websites contain information of vital importance for many people (like laws, for example). No one can force anyone into exercising any of their human rights... I have the right to be happy but if I'm not, no one will force me to be happy. I have the right to life, but I'm not arrested if I die. I have the right to freedom of movement, but I'm currently sitting still and the police are nowhere to be found. Human rights aren't things people must do, they're things governments must allow the people to do. I wouldn't categorize this comment as "nit-picky". I'd categorize it as completely and fundamentally wrong.

jteppinette 7y ago
> Human rights aren't things people must do, they're things governments must allow the people to do. I agree with you. I think people should be allowed to access the internet. That is different from forcing the government to give everyone a network connected computer [one example]. > Actually I think the entire comment is weak... the Internet is not "a network of private systems", ... My point here being that the internet is just a large network. I don't have access to the internal network of a company I do not work for, and I don't think I have a human right to that network. If I get blocked by FB/Twitter/[any site/network] have my "human rights" been taken away? I don't believe so.
- freehunter 7y ago
  >If I get blocked by FB/Twitter/[any site/network] have my "human rights" been taken away? That's not what "Internet as a human right" means though. It doesn't govern what private companies do. Facebook banning you from their site is not a violation of your human rights. Syria shutting down Internet access nationwide to keep protestors from communicating is a violation of human rights. >That is different from forcing the government to give everyone a network connected computer No one has ever conflated "Internet as a human right" with "governments must give everyone a free computer". Just like "the right to work" as a human right doesn't mean the government has to give you a job. They just can't prevent you from accessing your job, and they can't prevent you from access the Internet.

jteppinette 7y ago

> Human rights aren't things people must do, they're things governments must allow the people to do. I agree with you. I think people should be allowed to access the internet. That is different from forcing the government to give everyone a network connected computer [one example]. > Actually I think the entire comment is weak... the Internet is not "a network of private systems", ... My point here being that the internet is just a large network. I don't have access to the internal network of a company I do not work for, and I don't think I have a human right to that network. If I get blocked by FB/Twitter/[any site/network] have my "human rights" been taken away? I don't believe so.

freehunter 7y ago
>If I get blocked by FB/Twitter/[any site/network] have my "human rights" been taken away? That's not what "Internet as a human right" means though. It doesn't govern what private companies do. Facebook banning you from their site is not a violation of your human rights. Syria shutting down Internet access nationwide to keep protestors from communicating is a violation of human rights. >That is different from forcing the government to give everyone a network connected computer No one has ever conflated "Internet as a human right" with "governments must give everyone a free computer". Just like "the right to work" as a human right doesn't mean the government has to give you a job. They just can't prevent you from accessing your job, and they can't prevent you from access the Internet.