The BBC World Service has conducted a poll of more than 27,000 adults across 26 countries to answer one primary question: is internet access a fundamental human right? We can skip right past Finland and Estonia who've already
made laws to that effect, and take a look at what the other nations thought. Mexico, Korea and Brazil lead the way here with all having greater than 90 percent agreement, while Pakistan, India and Kenya -- countries with a slightly different perception of what fundamental needs are -- offer the least support, though they're all still above 50 percent in agreement. Other interesting stats include the claim by 85 percent of Japanese internet users and 81 percent in Mexico that they would not be able to "cope without the internet," while 55 percent of Brits and most other European nations believe that the internet should be regulated by governments in at least some way. Ghana and Nigeria are most worried about fraud (ha!), while people in the Philippines see explicit content as the web's biggest threat. Hit the source for more such pearls of wisdom and do let us know what you think in the comments below.
posted March 9th 2010 6:37AM
Nice comment about Nigeria.
@Prevacator
dear Mr Nigerian.
i am the prince of a small county in merry old england
my father has just passed away bequeathing me a vast fortune.
to access the funds which i will be able to share with you please send me all of your bank details, your date of birth and any other useful information.
once sent i will see you recieve adequate rewards
yours sincerely
prince thebettertwin
@thebettertwin
Jesus I have been getting those all to often! Trying to sell shit on Craigslist is a PITA! Luckily I have found a good screening method to weed out Spammers from the first message by adding things in the listing.
What is wrong with everyone? What happened to personal responsibility? Next you are going to hear everyone thinks they deserve a car, a house, a TV, cable, clothes from abercrombie, free insurance, college and just about anything.
I busted my butt through college, working three jobs. I did so because I didn't want the debt. I did so because I wanted to get a nice job with nice perks. You know what? I got those things because I picked a nice degree option and not some arts degree.
Work hard and you can claim these things without someone else paying for them.
OK, now my rant is done.
@cobjones I agree. As much as we should try and give people access to the net, we need to remember that it is not a right. Besides the Internet isn't ours is it?
@cobjones
Well said, very well said.
@cobjones
Calm down. A fundamental right doesn't mean that it's the governments job to pay for it. It simply means that the gov can't f*ck with your right, like take it away without cause and due process, or put unreasonable hurdles in the way such as burdensome licensing.
@Spiky haired boy - I think the AVAILABILITY of the net should be a right. Granted, you're still gonna have to pay to get access (routers and switches don't buy themselves), but having the option should be a given.
@spiny Norman
That right would fall under the pursuit of happiness. We don't have a seperate law for right of internet usage. We don't need one either. The bill of rights gives us hose rights. Everything else is either legal or illegal.
I just wanted to state that I am 24. Some people think all of the youth is skewed. There are a few of us that have it figured out.
@cobjones
Totally agree...I mean after internet what's next, a TV, a mobile phone (arguably just as important in modern society)...pretty soon we are going to have sleep walked into communism!
@Prevacator
If the Internet is a right then electricity needs to be a right because last I checked you need a device with power to actually connect. Also last I checked if you don't pay your electric bill you lose your power. So wouldn't electricity need to be a right first?
Everyone in this thread needs to look up the difference between a right and an entitlement. (Most likely the people that did this survey as well.)
Having the right to something does not constitute entitlement. You are not entitled to have someone give it to you because it's your right to have it.
@Andir
True, but most people read 'right' and think "This is something the world owes me."
@cobjones But people already think they should be given cable, a TV, a car, a house and an education.
@thebettertwin For sure, next year, that 79% will increase to 10% :).. Teens who are hone on using internet will be adults in a matter of a year or two and expect that the clamoring to have that internet right will skyrocket. And, that's why Google is there, right? http://bit.ly/fastest-internet-connection-on-earth-future
Alas!
@cobjones I think the main question is: what is meant by the word "access". Do people merely have the right to surf the web (as opposed to places like North Korea)? Or do they have the right to the equipment and network access to surf the web? It's a big difference.
@cobjones
so you suffered therefore everyone should suffer?
It behooves you to rethink your obtuse and specious logic.
There is a term for your political paradigm: Sour grapes.
@cobjones
@Prevacator
Lets think about this guys...
Is public education a right? yes it is because everyone has a right to knowledge...
there is also private schools that have better education (and there will be private internet companies)
everything is online, to find out information on DMVs and other government institutions it needs everyone to be able to be connected
People receive emails from doctors, DMVS, Banks, and pretty much everything at this point... it should be a right
@Abe i agrree
I think the numbers would be higher if they ask only users who frequently use the internet everyday.
@totalfixation
That would be %100 of Engadget users. XD
(Read up, internet users did rate higher than the total population.)
@Invader Par No, definitely not 100% of engadget users. Some of us understand the difference between awesomeness and "fundamental right".
Due Process? Fundamental. Pizza delivery? Awesomeness. Voting? Fundamental. Funny pictures of cats with captions? Awesomeness.
@totalfixation
Nope.
I dont consider the internet to be a fundamental right. It's a product no different than a TV.
@fortunzfavor
I agree with you on the 'fundamental' but I do have some caveats:
In the US now some State and Federal agencies are now requiring (or making it so hard that you really can't do it any other way) you to do certain things online (like apply for unemployment, contact people for services, etc.)
In these cases I like to think of internet use like the transportation system (flawed analogy but all I got at the moment). Everyone has use of the roads - you pay for it with your taxes. Not everyone has a Ferrari - most people have Chevys, Fords or Toyotas and some people have to make due with the bus or train. There are toll roads in some areas for convenience as well (read: not everyone needs a 100MB pipe when a 1MB connection is more than enough to do what you need to do).
If everyone had reasonable (read: don't have to drive an hour to get to a broadband connection) access like at a public library or public schools (which are often too few, to far or don't offer such services in rural areas) I think we would be set.
That or the government needs to start making it reasonably possible to do stuff without a computer again. Not being able to get an unemployment agency representative on the phone while waiting on hold for over 8 hours is not a fair solution. Neither is seeing the 3 hour lines in order to use a computer for 1 hour of internet at my local library... it is very disheartening and shows you how many people still have no access at home in this country.
While I am lucky enough to be writing this from the backside of a 15MB pipe - I realize that there are many people who are not as fortunate.
@fortunzfavor
Funny cat pics with captions = basic human right.
@PeterJames
I personally disagree with you. Sure we pay taxes that go towards roads... But the government doesn't give people cars to drive on them. Plus, given the way the current tax system is set up, people in poverty (unable to buy a car) don't pay income taxes towards roads.
If the government is providing services (in your example, unemployment) that requires a computer/internet to sign up for the service, then the government needs to drop that requirement now. Access to the internet is not a right. Period.
Besides, if we start giving people free internet access, where does this stop? Then you'll start arguing that we need to give people free TV access and a free computer.
The way I consider something a 'fundamental right', would be something that you cannot live without--something you are endowed with from a higher power that no human can take from you.
Just my 2 cents...
@fortunzfavor Exactly, it's called addiction, not a right just because you use something a ton.
@Rick James ... you came so close...
The services provided by the government do not offer you a taxi and a free ride to go down tot he town hall or local agency to apply for such services just like they don't give you a car and just like they can offer services on the Internet and not give you a computer. Most local libraries have Internet Access. If you can't afford Internet ($20/year with dial up if you REALLY need it) and a computer, you likely have other issues.
@fortunzfavor so then what about phones? what about electricity? these are things comparable to Internet Access
for instance E-mail is like regular mail and phones,
and websites are like newspapers and books
and help provide tools like calculators programs etc
@University of Pi, I'm not sure I'd call electricity a fundamental right alongside life, liberty and private property, but it's certainly higher on the necessity scale what with people cooking to death in the summers without AC or freezing to death in the winters without heat -- depending on where they live.
Phones are less so, since you can call 911 from even an inactive cell (everyone should donate old cells for the less fortunate for this reason). If you don't have email, websites or online calculators, you can use regular mail and phones, read newspapers and books, or use a real physical calculator (or abacus! or pencil and paper!). The internet makes doing things more convenient, but it's not even a bare necessity (that which you need to survive), much less fundamental right.
And why should the remainder % believe otherwise (that web access is =NOT= a fundamental right)? Snobbish much?
@Reznov
Internet access is is NOT a right, its a privilege to have. Just like Healthcare and insurance. a company doesn't have to give out free insurance. hey are a business.
Internet providers are a business, its not something that is free or should be controlled by the government
I also agree that Internet is a fundamental right, but not for playing WOW in public places (left side on the pic)
@conversoid
Pssst. I think Engadget put that on the screen as a joke.
@aMac
either that or they got hacked by 4chan
Considering the internet has become so ingrained in our society that the microwave directions on a box of kraft dinner refer you to their website, and commercials are swapping fine print for "see website for details", i would have to agree.
@Wat, The next UN report on Human Rights violations is going to be HILARIOUS.
Sure- everyone thinks it's a fundamental right, up until they're asked to pay more taxes so the government can provide it for free and regulate it.
@unclepain
You are right, the government provides NOTHING for free. Somewhere someone is paying for it... us.
Do they mean access as in no content should be block? Or internet access is a fundamental right?
If it's the other option I don't see how it's a fundamental right, I pay for the internet, it's not free, if it were free there would likely be regulations and limitations on it.
@Maj
Simply put you need to have access to internet. Example Finland was the first country to have internet access as a right. By 2011 every finn needs to have access over 1mb internet.
@Maj
I'm sorry, but you're not being simple minded enough to participate in this level of social information gathering and analysis. This is a quasi-I-want-my-MTV poll. If you want to think about stuff, you'll have to go elsewhere.
@cobaltage Maybe the poll was worded so that it was clear if it meant access to content or actual physical access. Because it's a big difference, I agree that the first is a right but no so much the second.
@Hbishop Can I hear an amen?
A right is something you have at birth. Innate to the character of sentience, such that, the sovereignty of self is not violated. In this way a right cannot be given.
This one hopes, the question was nebulous to a point people confused it with freedom to use the internet, and not a mandate of access for all.
The latter's muddled logic would mean all commodities/services would become a right. No yacht left behind.
@Ragnarokgn
Confirmed: all babies will be implanted with an ethernet port starting 2011.
@cobaltage Ethernet? How oldskool...
@Ragnarokgn
People dont understand the difference between an inalienable right and something that reeeeeeeealy want.
@MatteoVega
You have to crawl (wired) before you can walk (wireless)