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Vint Cerf: Internet access is not a human right
One of the fathers of the internet, Vinton Cerf, widely known for creating the TCP/IP protocol took the opportunity in a recent NYT article to dismiss the idea that the internet is a civil or human right, saying that some people are missing the point entirely.
He argues that use of the internet is not a human right, but is merely a method of communication, and entities such as the United Nations should be concentrating on more fundamental worldwide problems and not on making broadband communications a human right.
"Technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself," he writes. "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."
Cerf continued, "The best way to characterize human rights is to identify the outcomes that we are trying to ensure. These include critical freedoms like freedom of speech and freedom of access to information — and those are not necessarily bound to any particular technology at any particular time."
There is no doubt that the internet has been instrumental to the protests seen in the Middle East and parts of Northern Africa in the last year. With some governments taking to suppressing the internet in signs of trouble it is understandable that its citizens would want some form of civil or human right attached to its usage.
Cerf believes that the internet is a tool used to enable people to exercise their civil and human rights, as well as provide access to government information. It "is always just a tool for obtaining something else more important." His views contrast with comments made by World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee last year.
Ultimately, the internet itself is no more worthy of human rights than the telephone, mobile or even a road. Vint Cerf believes improving the internet is one of many means in which we can improve "human condition." But it is important that it is achieved whilst safeguarding civil and human rights that deserve to be protected, without the illusion that access alone is such a right.
User Comments: 56
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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.
@Captaincranky, I do understand your views and your thoughts and I would have to agree with you 98% except for the last part about Slavery and the internet.
... ]... As soon as you poped out, you were not free, You became a Slave to the system, whatever that is or was at that time. Mom and Dad had to sign some papers in the hospital along with the Doctors signature saying you were born alive to the Local,State and Federals. You became a number to the system, again, whatever that is or was at the time.
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 do believe that one of the first things we all learned as newborns was when our bellies were grumbling and we were hungry, We CRIED ! We were tiny screaming little things that at that time, we didn't really care about anything except to cry to get what we wanted.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"...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 .
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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 !
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Guardian31756 said:
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 myself live in a Iran, a 3rd world country, and I can assure you that that is exactly the case we have here.
Guardian31756 said: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 !
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.
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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..
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Finally, some common sense.
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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.
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