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Vint Cerf On Human Rights: Internet Access Isn't On the List

Posted by timothy on from the coffee-ice-cream-narrowly-beat-it-out dept.

Gallenod writes "In an op-ed for the New York Times, Vint Cerf writes that civil protests around the world, sparked by Internet communications, 'have raised questions about whether Internet access is or should be a civil or human right.' Cerf argues that 'technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself,' and contends that for something to be considered a human right, 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.'"

2 of 398 comments (clear)

  1. Agreed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone who feels that the Internet is a "human right" should read Bastiat's The Law. (http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html)

  2. It is not a right itself. by chrisphotonic · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Lets face, it we aren't going to provide everyone with IPads, and computers. The Internet is not a right.

    However, keeping the government from blocking the Internet IS a right. That's the right our right to free speech in one of its most powerful forms.