Most Believe Internet Access Is a Human Right

Access enables rights, but is not a right itself: Vinton G. Cerf

(NEWSER) - With Facebook and Twitter fueling protests across the Arab world, many wonder: Is the Internet a human or civil right? No, declares Google VP Vinton G. Cerf firmly. Courts in various countries have declared it so, but the UN stopped short, calling the Internet "an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights." That's exactly what it is, Cerf writes in the New York Times : "Technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself," "a means to an end, not … an end in itself." More»

All Finns are now guaranteed a connection

(NEWSER) - Sure, here in the US we have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But the Finnish government is tossing in the right to speedy Internet access, reports the AFP . Today Finland became the first country in the world to guarantee the availability of a broadband connection for every citizen. "The universal service obligation concerning Internet access of one Megabit per second (Mbit/s) has entered into force," says a government official. More»

(NEWSER) - IBM is developing a set of water grid technologies, designed to revamp the world’s badly outdated fresh water delivery systems in much the same way many countries are trying to upgrade their energy grids, CNET reports. IBM projects the water management business could be worth $20 billion within 5 years. “Water is the great sleeping crisis,” says the CTO of IBM’s green division, “and it is most definitely starting to wake up.” More»

They don't have to be just flying assassins

(NEWSER) - Drones have transformed warfare, but they're "not just for firing missiles in Pakistan," anti-genocide activists Andrew Sniderman and Mark Hanis argue in the New York Times . Their radical proposal: Human rights groups should be buying drones, and using them to keep an eye on brutal governments. Imagine using a drone in Syria, for instance. Instead of relying on grainy camera photos, we'd have a high-def, bird's-eye view of the conflict. "A drone would let us count demonstrators, gun barrels, and pools of blood." More»

Billions needed to keep water flowing

(NEWSER) - Water and sewer systems, among the most basic things needed to keep civilized society going, are in danger of falling apart across America. Around a quarter of drinking water already leaks from pipes before it reaches the faucet, and without urgent repairs to the vast majority of water systems—many of which should have been replaced decades ago—experts warn that water bills will skyrocket, water services in many regions will be routinely disrupted, and contamination caused by sewage bacteria will soar. More»