Is Internet access a human right?
January 5th, 2012 by ravi

Op-Ed by Vint Cerf in the New York Times / International Herald:

Internet Access Is Not a Human Right

[T]echnology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself. 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. For example, at one time if you didn’t have a horse it was hard to make a living. But the important right in that case was the right to make a living, not the right to a horse. Today, if I were granted a right to have a horse, I’m not sure where I would put it.

A carefully argued piece.

Finland: life, liberty and the pursuit of fast torrents
October 15th, 2009 by ravi

The move by Finland is aimed at bringing Web access to rural areas, where access has been limited.Finland has become the first country in the world to declare broadband Internet access a legal right.

The move by Finland is aimed at bringing Web access to rural areas, where access has been limited.

Starting in July, telecommunication companies in the northern European nation will be required to provide all 5.2 million citizens with Internet connection that runs at speeds of at least 1 megabit per second.

via Fast Internet access becomes a legal right in Finland – CNN.com.

What’s up with CNN’s graphic (see above) anyway? A Dell monitor, Apple keyboard and mouse, and what looks like Windows style icons/placement. Couldn’t they get a consistent stock photo that depicts fast Internet access better than this?

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