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The UN has said that broadband Internet is a basic human right. This is starting to get difficult.
by swalberg 14y ago
The UN has said that broadband Internet is a basic human right. This is starting to get difficult.
- stephengillie 14y agoInternet access is a basic human right because it vastly improves the quality of human life. Would internet access be a basic dolphin right? They didn't build it...
- GotAnyMegadeth 14y agoNeither did I...
- hk_kh 14y agoThe UN said that cutting down someone's Internet was a human right violation, not that broadband Internet is a basic human right (maybe it's implicit, but it's not the main purpose of the definition). Now, on court, you could appeal to human rights (and, worst case scenario, to AI) if, for instance, you are being prosecuted for rousing up an insurgent concentration on Facebook. Equally, the UN could interpose when a country decides to cut off the Internet to avoid communication during chaos or protests.
- littlegiantcap 14y agoI thought this was one of those negative rights, i.e. it doesn't have to be given to you, it just can't be taken from you.
- icebraining 14y agoNot given, but “Each state should thus develop a concrete and effective policy to make the Internet widely available, accessible, and affordable to all segments of population.” This can imply more than negative rights, in certain cases, but certainly not "free internet for everyone".
- littlegiantcap 14y agoInteresting. It's always important when talking about "rights" to distinguish between negative and positive rights. Thanks for giving me a more fleshed out version there.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]