United Nations Claims Internet Blackouts Violate Human Rights

[McMullen]

so if this cutting of the net is a violation of human rights how about what china does to the internet or what our government(usa) is considering, cutting of accsess to sites the government doesn't like. or in usa's case cutting off acsess to sites that the entertainment company's dont like.

Something about this statement really brings out how fucking shameful and inexcusable our country's recent priorities are. China: tyrannically ruled by power-hungry dickheads in the government. US: tyrannically ruled by money-hungry dickheads in the private sector.

And yes it is tyrannical because of the way corporations are considered to have many of the same protections and rights as an individual citizen, even though only a handful of individuals in the world have resources equaling the smallest corporations.

This is why so many people can be calling for true net neutrality and it still doesn't happen.

 

[Baneat]

It's implicit in the basic principles of rights,

Probably better to be stated anyway.

 

[emeraldrafael]

snip

But then that means that if you charge someone for the right (internet) or you dont have it initially, then you are commiting a crime. say a person loses their cable (and thats where they have their internet), they have lost their internet, and the "right" of free speech, because the company that is charging them has it in a price that it outside their means while they struggle for things that are basic human necessity (water, food, shelter, [occasionally] clothing). but thats business. I dont see internet, TV, radio (well... no, you'd still have the buy the radio, technically you're paying for it), and newspapers being free.

And, you can say that countries like China, like Korea, like Iran, that limit what you can do on the internet are infringing, and I dont think China's going ot remove that big brother outlook they have on the internet, the UN be damned (cause really, what is the UN going to honestly do, what with their STELLAR track record).



... also, I would say very much that if a governmentt KNOWINGLY decided to let someone walk into a desert, alone, without water, or the means to find any, and didnt try to stop/help them, even if it means incarcerating them for their own good, you could face alot of shit from types like the UN who like to preach about humanity. You not only denied the person water, or tried to help, you willingly sent them to their deaths with a shrug of your shoulder, which can classify as a slow torture (because dying od dehydration is not a quick or easy thing).

 

[DarthFennec]

...

Really?

I don't even know how to react to that. Education, Health, Food, Clean Water, Shelter - sure.

But electronic communication? That's pushing it a little far.

Those are basic needs of survival, not human rights ... well except education. So you're saying education is the basic human right? So what is the internet, if it's not the single most extensive and immediate form of education there is at the moment?

 

[BabyRaptor]

As an avid internet user, I like this.

As someone who tries to use the common sense she was endowed with, it confuses me a tad.

 

[hecticpicnic]

I don' think everyone has a right to the internet ,but it should be available if you wish to use it.Also image what china would be like if there internet wasn't so restricted.

 

[hecticpicnic]

...

Really?

I don't even know how to react to that. Education, Health, Food, Clean Water, Shelter - sure.

But electronic communication? That's pushing it a little far.

Those are basic needs of survival, not human rights ... well except education. So you're saying education is the basic human right? So what is the internet, if it's not the single most extensive and immediate form of education there is at the moment?

They are a human right,a right to life or whatever its called.Also the internet is some fucked up education if it is one.Also is education a right i think basic education to anyone who wishes a right?I can't remember.I think literacy is a right.

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

YES! It's about damn time. The internet is an essential service. We do not and can not function as a society without the internet. The times have changed, and internet access should become a right of every human being.

 

[MarsProbe]

Great, something else for prisoners to claim they are having their human rights violated over. If I was in charge they'd be lucky to get fed and have access to clean running water.

Also, the internet - an essential service? Bollocks. Name one thing the internet provides that you actually need. It brings convenience, sure, but we've lived without before and if the whole thing inexplicably died somehow, we'd eventually get on just as well without it.

That's my radical viewpoint for the day.

 

[TheGuiggleMonster]

... also, I would say very much that if a governmentt KNOWINGLY decided to let someone walk into a desert, alone, without water, or the means to find any, and didnt try to stop/help them, even if it means incarcerating them for their own good, you could face alot of shit from types like the UN who like to preach about humanity. You not only denied the person water, or tried to help, you willingly sent them to their deaths with a shrug of your shoulder, which can classify as a slow torture (because dying od dehydration is not a quick or easy thing).

I didn't mean not being allowed to bring water for whatever reason. I meant that if an idiot walked into a desert without the intelligence to bring any water, the rules of the UN don't say that the government must find them and give them water if there is already readily available water at their home which they could have brought. And it is not the responsibility of the government to manage access to the desert and keep a record of everyone who walks into it to make sure that they bring water with them. The government won't know that there is someone dying of dehrydation in the middle of the desert and if they did find out, they legally wouldn't have to do anything about it, although they would in a lot of places anyway because they are nice like that. The individual country might choose not to let people walk into the desert if they don't have water, but in countries like Libya (I know, bad example at the moment) which are mostly filled with desert and have very low population densities, it is basically impossible to implement doing this.

As long as the person has access to water, it's not illegal. And by the way, suicide is legal in a lot of places.

 

[Plurralbles]

The government will soon just find a way to tax the use of the internet to death.

 

[Elamdri]

They're declaring that a government cutting off internet access to the people is a violation of a human right. They're also declaring that people should have easy ACCESS to the internet. They're NOT declaring that everyone must have internet or that it must be free. What they are saying is that it is wrong for the government to purposely not make the internet available to it's citizens, either by restricting access, not providing service, or blacking out service.

Access to the Internet and the necessary infrastructure

85. Given that the Internet has become an indispensable tool for realizing a range
of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human
progress, ensuring universal access to the Internet should be a priority for all States.
Each State should thus develop a concrete and effective policy, in consultation with
individuals from all sections of society, including the private sector and relevant
Government ministries, to make the Internet widely available, accessible and
affordable to all segments of population.

86. At the international level, the Special Rapporteur reiterates his call on States,
in particular developed States, to honour their commitment, expressed inter alia in the
Millennium Development Goals, to facilitate technology transfer to developing States,
and to integrate effective programmes to facilitate universal Internet access in their
development and assistance policies.

87. Where the infrastructure for Internet access is present, the Special Rapporteur
encourages States to support initiatives to ensure that online information can be
accessed in a meaningful way by all sectors of the population, including persons with
disabilities and persons belonging to linguistic minorities.

88. States should include Internet literacy skills in school curricula, and support
similar learning modules outside of schools. In addition to basic skills training,
modules should clarify the benefits of accessing information online, and of responsibly
contributing information. Training can also help individuals learn how to protect
themselves against harmful content, and explain the potential consequences of
revealing private information on the Internet.