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Vint Cerf: Internet access is not a human right

Discussion in 'TechSpot News and Comments' started by Leeky, Jan 6, 2012.

  1. tw0rld TechSpot Enthusiast

    We are not merely talking about rights, but Human rights. Do not confused the two. Access to information is not a human right nor a right. It is a privilege. We can extend this privilege to others who do not enjoy it in many ways, that do not involve it being declared a human right.
  2. tw0rld TechSpot Enthusiast

    Not sure if you are referring to me, but I am not a U.S citizen. That is right I hail from another land, currently residing in the U.S. Ideology/beliefs are not limited to national boundaries.
  3. GunsAblazin Newcomer, in training

    Create it because this is a society, people violate the rights of others all the time. Like any law it is there as a visible guideline. Some people argue that God wasn't created, he just is, but we have no proof of that. Unwritten rights don't exist just because we will recognize them when we need them.
  4. GunsAblazin Newcomer, in training

    Yes the written human rights that the UN recognizes, and many others we don't know of. If owning firearms is a human right I don't see how access to information wouldn't be. I'm not talking private information, but something that is available for the public to see.
  5. hitech0101 TechSpot Enthusiast

    He is right millions still starve without food so for internet is kinda out of the question but still for those on the internet it still seems preety worng to deny internet
  6. Twixtea Newcomer, in training

    Hmm... I've read almost every comment on this matter, as I find it quite interesting.
    If you count Internet as a privilege, because one can live without it, you may aswell count electricity as a privilege, because people before us also did live without it. Like we did before the internet was invented.
    You pay for the electricity they give you and for internet aswell.
    But there's a huge difference ofcourse.
    Today, electricity is used in pretty much every country in the world, and almost ~~+95% of human beings or more are ''used'' to it. So if you take their electricity away, they may be able to continue to live, but like people in the rockages did, obviously.
    While for the internet I would assume there are about only ~~50% of human beings which are ''used'' to it, and if you take their internet away, they may be able to continue living, but I'm sure it's a bit hard in the first place. They wouldn't be forced to live like in the rockages but definetly one could call it a ''living a life like decades ago'' where there was no internet.
    If I would live 20 years ago, and had no internet, I wouldn't mind.
    But today, If I had no internet access, I would buttrape my president, sorry... but thats a fact.
    Internet is a technlogy for better, like electricity and unlike nuclear warfare or such you might argue.
    I would say in countries like US, or most European countries, you simply can't cut off the internet for the people, MAYBE, and I say maybe, you could do that in third world countries, but If I were the president there, I would not try that.
    So In countries like US, and Europe I think it can be called a 'right';.
  7. ikesmasher TechSpot Enthusiast

    The internet is not a right, but its increasingly useful and something that everyone should have some kind of access to.
  8. The Internet's significance and importance should make it a right (not a human right, but a right).
  9. The internet may not be a "human right" but any one who is denied access to it is transformed into a second class citizen. No internet? Get to the back of the bus!
  10. captaincranky TechSpot Addict

    Yeah well, "when books are outlawed, only outlaws will have books"....:rolleyes:

    Books will eventually no longer be printed, because of imbeciles that think the "Kindle" is actually a book.

    This just in; entitlement to information isn't a human right either. Otherwise, there would be no such thing as college tuition, and we'd all get a free PHD.

    I just priced internet only with Comcast, for internet only, (cable), and it would be $69.95 @ month. Now, if "I dun had me these kids", there exists the possibility I could get internet for $10.00 a month.

    Now, try to picture how sick of people like you railing about social entitlements I really am.

    And finally, I absolutely, positively, don't care what happens to the "less fortunate".

    The only outcome I'm certain of for the "less fortunate", is that they'll screw as much as they can, as often as they can, as hard as they can, in order to provide us a never ending supply of more, "less fortunates". Either before or after which, many of them will sell their food stamps to buy either crack or heroine.

    Every time you take to the internet, you type something more profoundly bizarre.

    Although, the foregoing statement my be a personal "best" for you.

    To put it another way, "WTF on earth does internet access have to do with slavery"?
  11. Guardian31756 Newcomer, in training

    Well, I don't know but if you were to introduce something like the internet to people in a Backwards type of a country who didn't know what in God's name your talking about and they took a liking too it and got kind of used to having it around and said I enjoy the freedom of using it and I want more of it but the Government said NOPE, You can't have any more then what we give you,Wouldn't you scream bloody murder if you couldn't get what you wanted to?

    I think someone should have SLAPPED you up-side your head for introducing such Technology to that Backwards country and NOT informing them that having such FREEDOM as the internet, it comes with Responsibilities, YOU ABUSE IT, YOU LOSE IT !
  12. captaincranky TechSpot Addict

    While I do understand the enthusiasm for rebelliousness, it doesn't really justify applying the term "slavery" to a culture expecting your adherance to its conventions and mores. Human advancement does require cooperation and participation by a multitude of different skills and ideas. Freedom "has it's limits", and as oxymoronic as that sounds, the only state of human existence without any operational parameters applied is dead.:dead:

    Slavery can be an illusion created in an individuals own mind. If you believe you're enslaved by having to go out and earn a living to feed your family, you are. If you do it because you want to, you're a free man.
    I would submit that, as an infant, crying for food is an instinct, not a learned response. It really doesn't manifest itself as a "learned response", until someone carries it forward into adulthood. Which of course, many people do. Of course, "adulthood", broadens greatly the scope of things people are willing to annoy others by crying after. It's simply isn't just about food when you're a "grownup"...:rolleyes:
    Our existence follows Darwinian principles to a certain degree, and the concept of "human rights" mitigates the harshness of reality. Unfortunately, we live in an age were so many people think they have "the right" to run their mouth on a cell phone or surf the web, while leeching their existence out of public entitlements and contributing nothing to society in return. And somebody wants to make the internet a "human right"? Then nothing will get done, now will it?

    Anyway, the concept of slavery, directly attaches itself to "involuntary servitude", and only by the most irresponsible extravagance of twisted metaphor, could the term be applied to "internet access" or lack thereof .
  13. Guardian31756 Newcomer, in training

    It would appear that 2 of my comments got censored, don't know why unless those that in power may feel that the truth might hurt peoples little ears.

    So be it then !

    Its all right to say nasty things as a Guest but its not alright to say the same things as a member, who would have imagined that !
  14. Twixtea Newcomer, in training

    I myself live in a Iran, a 3rd world country, and I can assure you that that is exactly the case we have here.

    What do you exactly mean?
    What kind of responsibility? What kind of abusement?
    I mean if someone abuses the internet technology, fine...
    People may abuse other technologies aswell, you can't censor, filter or cut off the internet because some people abuse it. Strengthen your Internet security and such...
    That's like stopping the production of a medicine which some people are in need of, because a guy used that medicine to overdose his wife with it and kill her.
    They say it's not the thiefs fault if there is poverty in the country.
  15. I really don't understand about what's human right, abilities, etc.. but one thing I'm agree is, internet access isn't a human right.. it's a merely a method of communication, or simply we call it as a tool. We don't need any human right to use phone or telephone, but we need human right for freedom of speech, and freedom to access information.. internet make it enable to us..

    If we consider internet access as a human right, that means we put some restriction (and we may not realize it) to our freedom accessing information via internet. And I'm sure, UN or any other entity will put some regulations to put in order (means put some degree to our freedom in order to ensure and protect other's human right).. the result is: someday, any entity or anyone can sue us with serious accusation -even the case isn't that serious- because they think we 'violated' their human right(s).

    last thing, people can't invent WWW without TCP/IP protocols..
  16. Finally, some common sense.
  17. While I agree the internet is not a human right per se, it seems to come down to semantics. The only true right you have is that of choice or freewill to go forth in whatever direction you choose, everything else really are merely agreements among us. With that said, I think the flow of information (which the internet resprensents at this time) is important for the growth of all.