UN says Internet Access is a Basic Human Right

[Laxman9292]

@Lilani Ok that I agree with 100%, it's just that especially on the internet "human right" usually means "human free stuff" like what @Braedan said

 

[Zaik]

That's interesting.

The UN has about as much influence on the lawmaking process of individual countries as I do(if not less), but I guess them taking a stance on it is better than them not taking a stance on it.

 

[SillyBear]

Fuck the modern take on "human rights" pisses me off.

Thank you. A basic human right used to be nothing. If you wanted life you didn't have a right to it, you had to be stronger or smarter than the next ************ who's trying to take it from you. If you wanted food; you hunted it yourself. Shelter? Built it yourself. Pursuit of happiness? Break free from the bonds of slavery. Humans have no rights, nothing is just given to us, we need to work for it.

Why don't you go over to Sudan and say that. If you are talking about Americans, then yes, I agree, in the USA and the UK there is always a way to scrabble up the ladder. In the third world? No, no way.

 

[Veylon]

Are there any human rights besides "basic"? The internet strikes me as one of the more advanced ones, like the right to vote. It's not exactly on the bottom level of Maslow's hierarchy.

 

[Ambi]

I approve of this. Governments should not restrict access to the internet. Restricting the internet is like cutting phone lines or burning books.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

with how many jobs require you to "apply online" and how many more services require some form of email, yeah, i know it's a basic human right

just like healthcare should be.

let's socialize both in america, shall we?

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

Maybe it's not a basic human right, guys, but treating it as if it were may damn well push humanity into a new golden age. Seriously, this is some printing press level shit right here.

 

[ninja51]

Well seeing as the only time its restricted is to blind and subdue people, I think it could seriously be considered a human right. Its like the right to food, just food for the mind.

The main problem is the U.N. is a joke and literally no country in the world takes it seriously. Couldnt and wouldnt stop the Rwandan genoside, cant stop Libia and the other asshole middle eastern states suppressing its people. Hell the U.N. could outright say "All nations attack (blank), they are evil" and it wouldnt do shit.

 

[Lilani]

That's idiodic. Why would any company sell internet services if it became illegal to cut you off if you didn't pay your bill? And you can't be cut off even if you have been arrested for hacking?

As usual the UNHR is lost in stupidity.

Again, the UN isn't saying that everyone should be given Internet for free, like universal healthcare. They are saying that governments should not interfere in the access that their citizens have. In other words, they are discouraging governments from denying their citizens access to Internet for the sake of unnecessary censorship.

And of course it is a given that certain human rights can be suspended if a person has engaged in criminal activity. That's sort of the basic principle of the penal system.

 

[Android2137]

I think its great that a freedom to access information is seen as a basic human right.

This is how I think they should have worded it. Saying the Internet is a basic human right is just silly. Access to information should be a basic human right; it's just that it happens to be the Internet at this point in time.

Hey, North Korea is the only country not connected to the Internet. What's the UN going to do about them?

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Don't you know? The US has never ever ever ever ever ever once listened to the UN.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Wait, a basic human right? Um...no. Sure it's a very important privilege when used correctly, but a basic human right?

But in a world like mine, in which almost everything is done trough Internet and more being migrated constantly in there.

Basically, If I wouldn't be able to use Internet. I couldn't study my main subject (I do lot of Online courses since the subject I am studying doesn't have much school courses), I couldn't control my money, I couldn't check my drug prescriptions limits (Well I could but it is way too complicated and costs few euros), and I would be unable to connected to most of my friends.

WE are migrating more and more vital services in to the Internet, and when majority of important services are On-line. Restricting someone's connection to the services can be considered wrong.
Of course in 3rd world countries, access to Internet is nothing more than a luxury. But In a modern word it is not.´

 

[ckam]

Well, now Tokyo technically can't censor the internet.

 

[Adventurer2626]

That's extraordinarily progressive of them. I didn't expect anything like this until maybe 50 years from now when it would be lethal to the world economy to bring down the net. It's kind of funny, the way the quote was worded it sounded like it they were saying they couldn't let you disconnect. I also see that my definition of "rights" needs revision as I always thought them synonymous with "needs" in gov't jargon. If taken in (what I perceive as) the spirit that it's given, this isn't too bad. In fact it's quite good. If you can afford or arrange to have internet access, the state should not prevent you from doing so. Except when you start hurting others of course. I don't envy whose job it is to draw this up in legislation. More than likely in any case it'll come back to bite them later when they look back and say, "How could we be so stupid? Did we know nothing about the internet and how it ties in with law?" I think we can safely guess the answer to the second question.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Well I'm sure the families in the third world who fight for survival against "freedom fighters" daily appreciate it.

[sub]Sorry, I'm tired and just not in the right mindset to post right now.[/sub]

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

The main problem is the U.N. is a joke and literally no country in the world takes it seriously.

This has happened before, and I agree.
I think Skeletor could brodcast threats against them, even stating where he was, and the UN wouldn't do anything about it.
"We should go after him!"
"You Americans just want war!"
"It's freaking SKELETOR!"
"I say we vote on this!"

OT: I can see a problem with this. The kind of coutries that will comply with this are not the ones that would cut internet off in the first place.

 

[Saelune]

Don't you know? The US has never ever ever ever ever ever once listened to the UN.

I think this is more of an issue for countries like China and Iran who actually do restrict the Internet considerably. Hell, Google has been at odds with China for a while.