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Maggie Murphy

The United Nations Declares Internet Access a Basic Human Right - 2 views

www.theatlantic.com/...239911

united nations internet access human rights digital divide

shared by Maggie Murphy on 08 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • Maggie Murphy on 08 Jun 11
     
    Another article found in my search for information about the "global digital divide." According to the article, last week, the United Nations released a report that "argued that disconnecting individuals from the Internet is a violation of human rights and goes against international law" and that all States should seek to ensure there is "as little restriction to online content as possible." The Atlantic points out, following Wired's Threat Level blog, that the UN report came "the same day that a monitoring firm found two-thirds of Syria's Internet access has been shut down without notice." While access isn't the only factor in the digital divide on a global or a national scale (disparities in information or new media literacy is also a huge factor, for example), I agree that the availability of unfettered access as a matter of government policy is the bare minimum.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Daniel Huang on 08 Jun 11
     
    This confuses me a bit. Does this mean that the government should be providing everyone with unlimited Internet access? Or does this just mean that the government has no right to shut down ISPs?
  • Maggie Murphy on 08 Jun 11
     
    I'm pretty sure if the focus of the report is that, as a matter of human rights, governments should not be disconnecting people from the internet and should not be censoring or blocking content as per the article, the answer is the latter.
  • tomdiscepola on 09 Jun 11
     
    Interesting. Seems intuitive if we think of Internet access as a matter of free speech. It's not so much a question of the government granting free speech as it is restricting governments' interference with it. (I.e., we're not talking about giving a population newspapers or other information sources; it's more of a "negative right" - no one shall interfere with your ability to access such information.)
  • amanda brennan on 09 Jun 11
     
    It confuses me that it can be considered a basic human right if, for a portion of the population, it's hard to access and at times, can be unreachable. Even though I know it's more what Tom said about it being a negative right, the phrasing just doesn't sit right. Either way, this is a great thing and I'm surprised it didn;t happen sooner.
  • Rebecca Martin on 09 Jun 11
     
    I had come across this article as well in our group project research, Maggie, and I think that the UN is taking steps to bring the conversation on the right to freedom of opinion and expression into the digital age, as Tom mentions. Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, in place since 1948, states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." So in the context of the recent shutdown of ISPs by Syria, more generally the use of the Internet as a means of civic and political dissidence, and even the debate around net neutrality in this country, I agree with Maggie that the UN's approach seems to clarify and reiterate unfettered access to information.
Jeanine Finn

To Slow Piracy, Internet Providers Ready Penalties - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...providers-ready-penalties.html

copyright ISP piracy

shared by Jeanine Finn on 12 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Jeanine Finn on 12 Jul 11
     
    Americans who illegally download songs and movies may soon be in for a surprise: They will be warned to stop, and if they don't, they could find their Internet access slowing to a crawl.
  • Jeanine Finn on 12 Jul 11
     
    Ug.
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