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Is The Internet A Human Right?

January 17th, 2012 |

Access to the Internet and Human Rights – thanks Vint! | Association …

www.apc.org1/16/12

Thanks for the best possible start to 2012 for internet rights advocates. Your New York Times column Internet Access is Not a Human Right sparked a lively debate about the internet , access and human rights. In 2012 we will …

Internet Freedom and the Digital Earthquake of 2011 « humanrights …

www.humanrights.gov1/17/12

I am here to speak about Internet freedom as a foundation for the 21st Century human rights agenda. It is a pleasure to be joined by Christine Varney, a lawyer's lawyer who is much missed inside the Obama administration. …

With so many ongoing initiatives to bring the Internet to third-world countries, to ensure its availability under oppressive regimes, and increased spending to bring technology into classrooms, the response from a man who’s often referred to as the father of the Internet might come as a surprise to you.

When asked in an interview if Internet access is a human right Vint Cerf responded,

"Internet access is not a human right",

He says he’s aware that in Estonia, France, Spain, Finland and Greece, that Internet access has already been made a human right, but believes that the argument, however well meaning, misses a larger point:

"Technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself".

And says there must be a high bar before something can 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.

But it would be a mistake to place any particular technology in this exalted category, since over time we would end up valuing the wrong things.

The Internet Is a Human Right

In December 2010, FTC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn who is the daughter of Rep. James Clyburn espoused her belief that the Internet must become an “open platform".

And that same month, another FCC Commissioner, Michael Copps, said,

“Universal access to broadband needs to be seen as a civil right, though not many people have talked about it that way".

In August 2011, the Ministerial Alliance Against the Digital Divide said that it considered access to the Internet a civil right.

"Access To The Internet Is Akin To A Civil Rights Issue"

Telecom researcher Chris Mitchell writes that, as a result of its merger with NBC, Comcast is required to make the Internet affordable and available to 2.5 million low-income households over the next two years.

And Comcast’s Executive Vice-President David Cohen had the following to say about the civil rights issue:

“Access to the internet is akin to a civil rights issue for the 21st century. It’s that access that enables people in poorer areas to equalize access to a quality education, quality health care and vocational opportunities".

Jesse Jackson says:

"The way to raise unemployment is to change the Constitution so that every student had the right to a good education and notes giving every kid an iPod and a laptop would accomplish both goals".