Is it ethical for services to exclude those without internet access?

Greg
Mon, 05 Apr 2021 13:55:19 +0000

I've been turning the question over in my mind since I read this article the other day. A company that delivers milk and basic groceries is moving to online-only billing and account management - the article quotes various people who are "disgusted" that the company are cutting off their "elderly or vulnerable customers". It's one relatively niche example that raises a much broader question, and the idea of people still living without some form of internet access genuinely caught me by surprise.

The UK has 94.6% internet penetration, relatively low costs (£10/month or less) for basic access, and a variety of subsidised schemes available for people to get basic hardware. That said, there are always gaps for people to fall through, and that last 5% still represents over three million people. At what point does it become reasonable to assume everybody is, or has the opportunity to be, online?

Comments URL: https://tildes.net/~talk/w2v/is_it_ethical_for_services_to_exclude_those_without_internet_access

Votes: 20

Comments: 36