No. People need food, clothing, shelter, a job to survive. On the other hand, humanity has done just fine without the Internet or computers for most of its history.<p>Now, if Facebook is willing to pay the cost of providing every single human being with an Internet connection, they should be allowed to. But if they are implicitly suggesting every state in the world should make it easier for them to increase their user base by making it a top priority to provide everyone with Internet access (because "connectivity is a human right", right?), then someone ought to wake them up from their daydreaming.
I think it's better to ask the opposite question:<p>Does anyone have the right to deny a person connectivity?<p>Or more generally:<p>Does anyone have the right to deny a person access to knowledge?<p>And I continue by thinking about the question:<p>Does a government have the right to limit anyone's freedom without a fair and open judicial process?
> ...we can make internet access more affordable by making it more efficient to deliver data...<p>They are planning to work on data compression. Then, internet would be more affordable for people who already have internet connectivity. So, their work will essentially depend on the current and existing way internet connectivity is spreading to the 2/3rds that don't have internet connectivity now. But, are spinning it off as a moral / humanitarian ambition.<p>Besides, even if they come up with the next revolutionary data compression technique, I would be very surprised if it would be made available as an open standard to the internet to help make internet cheaper/affordable to everyone. I am sure their IP lawyers will have a part to play then.
I'm kind of surprised at the amount of hostility in this thread. Sure, Internet access isn't on the same level of need as food or water or shelter or medical care, but it's still one of the most empowering things in our society. There are many different levels of and aspects to aid; it's not a negative if an organization decides to focus its efforts in an area it knows best.
Rights do not exist. "Human Right" is a modern synonym for power. In absence of power, a right is meaningless. In the presence of power, a right is superfluous.
Pretty simple no. You're pretty sick if you think it is.<p>Can connectivity give people things that should be human rights?<p>I'd say probably not a efficient use of resources, but perhaps.<p>If this is the best Facebook has to offer I'll take it.