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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-ZA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Hi Nigel,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Vint has “bailed” me out, I suppose</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:#1F497D'>J</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> The point you’re making is about an enabler to the enjoyment of at least 2 human rights – in this case the rights to freedom of expression and to access to information. The Internet is only the enabler, not a human right on its own. It can become a right, though, but that would need a law (a statute) to proclaim it a right, in which case it would only remain a civil or statutory right, not a human right.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Your right to water analogy marks the distinction well, I think: the human right involved is the right to life, and “water” becomes an enabler (a means) to the enjoyment of that right, the same way as healthcare is the enabler of the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Vika<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 4.0pt'><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Vint Cerf [mailto:vint@google.com] <br><b>Sent:</b> 05 January 2012 02:08 PM<br><b>To:</b> Nigel Roberts<br><b>Cc:</b> vika@zadna.org.za; africann@afrinic.net<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [AfrICANN-discuss] Internet Access Is Not a Human Right<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>nigel, the problem with enshrining a technology as a human right is that when the technology changes, the right isn't valid any more. The proper right, here, is freedom of expresses and access to information - how that is accomplished is going to vary from time to time. Libraries facilitated access to information but to make them a "human right" over-extends the notion, for example. Internet is simply the most recent manifestation of a way to enable human rights.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>vint<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Thu, Jan 5, 2012 at 7:04 AM, Nigel Roberts <<a href="mailto:nigel@channelisles.net">nigel@channelisles.net</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Vika:<br><br>Then I need to write a reasoned rebuttal, because Vint's wrong.<br><br>But in advance of a detailed essay, here's a few thoughts.<br><br>Perhaps Vint's not exactly, WRONG, but instead perhaps overinterpreting the claim that<br><br>'Internet Access is a human right'.<br><br><br>If you look at when I first gained access to the proto-Internet, in 1978, Internet access was clearly neither a human right nor even existed as far as the vast majority.<br><br>But if you look at the situation in some countries like the USA and the UK today, in 2012, a LACK of Internet access clearly INFRINGES basic human rights in many aspects.<br><br>My mother, who is 77, and beginning to suffer some of the trials of age, cannot use the Internet.<br><br>According she is dispossessed in some real ways when dealing with the governmental authorities.<br><br>She is discriminated and charged more for services by private companies who do not take reasonable accomodations for the disabled in their service offerings.<br><br>But she can ask me to file her tax return, or book her flights for her.<br>Now imagine communities who cannot for reasons of geography or education get access the internet either with reasonable speed (dialup is unusable today) or at all. We have a new poor, the information-poor.<br><br>Is water a human right?<br><br>That's a question is a burning issue in many parts of Africa. According to Kofi Annan it is. See <a href="http://www.righttowater.info/" target="_blank">http://www.righttowater.info/</a><br><br>But in the strict interpretation of say the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or the European Convention, the fundamental right is the not a 'right to water'. First of all, is the right to life itself, and then other rights such as the right to found a family, and right to private and family life. Clean drinking water is a necessity predicate.<br><br>It seems to me that Internet access is analogous.<br><br>And it appears that the most relevant human right is the right to free expression (Art. 19 of the Universal Declaration, Art 10. of the European Convention).<br><br>There is no doubt in my mind that lack of functioning and efficient internet access infringes that right.<br><br>Nigel<br><br>(PS: Vika's right. It's never too late. I did it in 2008 at age 50!)<br><br><br><br>On 01/05/2012 11:29 AM, Vika Mpisane wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks, AR! This is quite a persuasive argument by Vint Cerf, and I'm<br>convinced he's right. He should consider becoming a human rights lawyer as<br>well...it's never too late.<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=1 width="100%" noshade style='color:#A0A0A0' align=center></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>No virus found in this message.<br>Checked by AVG - <a href="http://www.avg.com">www.avg.com</a><br>Version: 2012.0.1901 / Virus Database: 2109/4723 - Release Date: 01/04/12<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></body></html>