Whacky Weekend: Is Internet Access a Human Right?

Thu Jan 5 16:52:11 UTC 2012

On Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:29:05 PST, Leo Bicknell said:
> But let's take a specific (famous) example.  Kevin Mitnick.  From
> his wikipedia page:
>
>   "During his supervised release, which ended on January 21, 2003, he was
>   initially forbidden to use any communications technology other than a
>   landline telephone."
>
> If Internet access (to use your term) had been a human right than
> his human rights were violated by the government when they banned
> him from using any communications technology.  Do we really want to
> suggest that banning him from using the computer is the same level of
> violation as enslaving him, torturing him, or even killing him?

Convicted felons surrender a number of rights: freedom (jail terms), the
right to vote, etc.  And nobody seems to consider that concept a "violation"
(though it *is* of course up for debate exactly what rights it's OK to remove
from a felon, and for how long).
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