Internet Access Is Not Quite A Human Right
from the just-misses-the-cut dept
While a few places have tried declaring internet access as a "basic human right", it appears that the UN says it doesn't make the cut, just yet (and rightfully so). There are plenty of other issues which clearly supersede internet access on the list of basic human rights, and in places that are struggling to feed, clothe and shelter their population, the last thing they're thinking about is how to wire up a computer.
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Basic Human Rights
They even have it in their human rights charter. Communists! Net access before healthcare, I say - it's the american way.
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No Subject Given
If internet access is a "basic human right", this means that all humans who existed prior to the development of the internet had this particular right violated.
Also, if a technology on the verge of being developed (e.g., a new AIDS drug) is considered a human right, development can be stifled, especially if drug companies are mandated to give their product away for free. They won't develop it at all if they aren't permited to profit from it, or at the very least, cover the cost of its development, production and distribution.
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