Internet Access as a Human Right

While reading This Article , I was surprised to find that
The UN declared internet access to be a human right in 2016, and achieving universal access is one target of its Sustainable Development Goals.

(The article is about incidents of governments shutting down internet access for various reasons.)

I have a hard time with the internet being considered a human right.

From Wiki: is the view that all people must be able to access the Internet in order to exercise and enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and opinion

Humans have been exercising their freedom of expression and opinion for thousands of years before the internet.

That would be like saying "Automobiles" should be considered a human right in order for people to exercise their freedom of mobility.

Thoughts?

If society keeps advancing so that using the internet becomes an essential part of it, then access has to be a right.

Public transport exists so props can be mobile without owning a car. Access to internet can exist with buying everyone a laptop and high speed internet. A lot of public libraries fill that function in many communities. But libraries aren’t every where we still have a large portion of our state that only gets a book mobile once or twice a month, and several parts with no internet no matter how much you could pay for it. The infrastructure doesn’t exist.
Yet more and more government required activities are taking place “on-line” and not in print or person or even phone anymore. Most employment requires internet to acquire. As that changes, we have to keep information accessible to everyone.

I guess I’m looking at a bigger picture... do I have to communicate with people on Twitter to be free and expres my option.... no

Do I have to use the internet to vote. .. right now pretty much yes... not the actual voting part but in obtaining some of the documentation required to vote. Like an ID. The government isn’t putting out as much information in print any more, it’s all pdf. To keep up with my senators and representatives activities.. I need the internet. Not twitter, but the government printing office. Federal depository libraries don’t get that stuff in print anymore. — even if they wanted it. If the govt servers were lost, so would that information.
(I’m sure there backups and mirrors, but the point is the internet is the official storage place now not the library of Congress buildings.

Also can you enjoy those right if you can’t secure employment, which gives the financial support to persue “happiness”. And if not employment, like in the case of the poor and disabled...many of those services have online applications also. Can’t apply for Medicare without the internet anymore.

Found this:
Universal Declearation of Human Rights

I'll browse now, read and comment later - after work

The 30 articles in the document basically list freedoms that people should have, and things that shouldn't be done

Everyone is equal, no preference to race, religion, ethinicity, etc...
No slavery
Fair laws, freedom to run from persecution, declare nationality
etc and so on.

Basically everything is what people should be able to do, and a state of being.
It does not list any Things or Tools

The internet is a tool (as are many that are on it). It may be a means to get information, register, conduct business, etc, but the internet is not an end unto itself.

Lets take this one from Article 21:
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

The US provides this right through Voting.
If the gov't sets up a situation where you HAVE to go on-line to vote, or register to vote - and there is no other (reasonable) way, then it is up to the gov't to provide the means to every citizen to access this Human Right to take part in the Gov't.

The Human Right is participating, the Internet is a merely a means to voting, a tool.

we have the freedom of assembly and protest, but if the city shuts down all the streets in a 4 mile radius of a trump rally... do we still have that freedom? or did they just take our tools away?

People can still walk, bike, whatever the 4 miles to get to the site of the rally to protest.

So I would say the streets, and driving makes it easier, they are tools, but it's not preventing you. (I understand there may be mobility issues, and that's where the ADA has come into play to minimize those barriers to many services .. generally speaking)

If they cordoned off the whole area and didn't allow anyone in without a red hat, then they are limiting Where, but you can still protest outside of that 4 mile radius.

It is a sticky wicket, which is partially why I don't necessarily agree with "Things" being a "Human Right"

We are not born with internet access
(... yet)

... mind you, there is also the Luddite in me that pushes back against this

Our Declaration of Independence says that we all have a right to “ Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".

That would seem to include the Internet... as a part of liberty and possibly the pursuit of happiness.

Of course our constitution hasn’t really addressed the purse of happiness thing, though it does address liberty... to a point.

Capitalism suggests that each of us has the “right” to anything (that is legal), which we can afford to pay for.

So... it seems like Comcast is going to provide two months free internet. Basically expanding their low income programs. It might help some people work or continue school from home that may not of had access otherwise.

I dislike the notion of human rights, but I agree that people should be allowed to express themselves freely and without restriction (beyond the normal ones of not allowing death threats etc). I'm not sure if there is any part of the world left where such freedom remains though, sadly. And if any such nation did exist I'm sure that some other UN body would condemn it within minutes.

TFS is about as free a place to speak as there is these days it seems to me.

A friend of mine was wanting to study for her driver test .I took her to the MVD office for a book. We were told they don't print them out hard copy anymore. She was given web site where she could either study it online or print it out herself.

I know driving isn't a right, so I don't know where ,having to have internet to study for the driver's test , falls.

And now, in these times, it is certainly more of a necessity.

But it is still a construct of society and modernization.

If everything were to fail and crumble to basic living, most of those "human rights" would still hold, but the internet wouldn't exist.

I know, semantics and doomsdayer stuff ...

interesting, that i take census online last week. 10 years ago, when i took the last one, a part timer person knock on my apartment's door to filled out. in 10 years, the government took unncessary paperwork to get rid of them. never seen lost of a person's job doing it.