DIGITAL DIVIDE=20
Study: Minorities Get Better Auto Deals Online (CNET)
Brazil's Dulcet Tones of Tech (WIRED)=20
New British Payphones to Offer Internet Access (SJM)
PRIVACY
Consumers Concerned About Internet Security - Poll (WP)
MS TV: It'll Be Watching You (WIRED)
DIGITAL DIVIDE=20
STUDY: MINORITIES GET BETTER AUTO DEALS ONLINE=20
Issue: Digital Divide=20
Women and minority generally pay more than white men when buying the =
same
cars, but according to a study released Tuesday, they can erase that
difference by buying over the Internet rather than through car =
dealerships.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California's =
Haas
School of Business, the Yale School of Management and J.D. Powers and
Associates, concluded the Internet serves as an "equalizer" for car =
buyers
whose demographic characteristics can end up costing them at regular
dealerships. The new data indicate that minority car buyers pay about 2
percent more than white consumers, or about $500 for the average car, =
at
dealerships. The researchers attributed the difference in purchase =
price to
differing income, education and search costs on the part of the =
minority
buyers. Using data from Autobytel.com, a large online car-buying =
service,
the study found that women and minority online shoppers paid the same =
prices
as non-minorities, regardless of their education, income and search =
costs.
Florian Zettelmeyer, a Berkeley marketing professor who helped conduct =
the
research, said the Internet could be expected to have the same =
"equalizing"
effect in other purchases--such as insurance--where negotiation and
information on different rates help to determine the final price. "The
'digital divide' indicates that disadvantaged minorities are less =
likely to
use the Internet. But this shows that if they do, they tend to benefit =
more
than whites," Zettelmeyer said. "Hopefully, policy makers will realize =
that
there is a real benefit here from making sure that the digital divide =
gets
eliminated."=20
[SOURCE: CNet, AUTHOR: Reuters]
(http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-8146850.html?tag=3Dmn_hd)
BRAZIL'S DULCET TONES OF TECH
Issue: Digital Divide=20
In a poor neighborhood in the city of Olinda, Brazil artists, dancers =
and
musicians are embracing technology as a way to help youth imagine a way =
out
of poverty. A group called Le=E3o Coroado, which has sung and danced
"maracatu" since 1863, is trying to fight poverty and violence by using =
its
music, and now technology, to educate the community. Le=E3o Coroado is
implementing a technology infrastructure in which volunteers teach =
local
residents the basics of how to work with computers and the Internet. =
These
students then become the volunteer teachers, which begins a cycle that
continues until the group can start to charge a small fee for its work =
that
includes creating websites and editing digital music. The initiative =
has
received some funding from Brazilian institutions, such as CDI =
(Committee
for the Technology Democratization). "We don't want to only teach them =
how
to handle computers. We also want to create social entrepreneurs, =
people
that can organize, manage and assume social investments and initiatives =
in
the area," said Paulo Henrique Araripe, executive-coordinator for the =
CDI in
Pernambuco. "We're giving them tools that might let them leave the =
actual
situation of exclusion they're in."=20
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Paulo Reb=EAlo]
(http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,48362,00.html)
NEW BRITISH PAYPHONES TO OFFER INTERNET ACCESS
Issue: Digital Divide=20
British telecom equipment maker Marconi Plc and telecom giant unveiled =
today
plans to install a network of 28,000 Internet-ready payphones across
Britain. The companies said they were to introduce the new phones, =
which
would offer full online access and traditional voice services, from =
next
April and roll them out over five years. Wednesday's news came exactly =
100
years to the day after Guglielmo Marconi, founder of Marconi's =
predecessor
company, invented radio with three faint clicks heard across the =
Atlantic.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Dan Lalor (Reuters)]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1702303l.htm)
PRIVACY=20
CONSUMERS CONCERNED ABOUT INTERNET SECURITY - POLL
Issue: Security=20
More than 70 percent of Americans are at least "somewhat concerned" =
about
Internet and computer security in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks,
according to the poll, which was sponsored by the Information =
Technology
Association of America and security firm Tumbleweed Communications. =
Roughly
74 percent of Americans are worried that the information they give out
online could be stolen or misused, the poll found. The poll also =
highlighted
a potential public relations headache for the federal government, as it
indicated that 78 percent of Americans were concerned that their
government-held personal data could be misused in the future.=20
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire (Newsbytes.com)]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/14134-1.html)
MS TV: IT'LL BE WATCHING YOU
Issue: Privacy
Microsoft announced on Tuesday it will be using Predictive Networks'
technology to track the viewing habits of people who use Microsoft TV
interactive television products. Scott Oddo, director of research at
Predictive Networks, said the collected information does not connect
viewers' interests to their names or other personally identifiable
information. While the technology doesn't track "what Joe Smith was =
watching
last Tuesday," he said, it could tell that "Joe watches a lot of =
baseball,
likes Situation Comedies, and responds favorably to commercials that =
use
humor."
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Michelle Delio]
(http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,49028,00.html)
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