Digital Divide in Hong Kong and the Role of NGOs

1
Digital Divide in Hong Kong and the Role of NGOs

• John FUNG
• The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
• 25th April 2006

2
International DD Measurements

• Network Readiness Index 2003, World Economic
  Forum
• ITU Digital Access Index 2003
• Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2005/2006, UNDP
• From the Digital Divide to Digital Opportunities.
  Measuring Infostats for Development, ITU and
  Orbicom 2005
• OECD Communications Outlook 2005
• World Development Indicators, World Bank 2005
• Digital Opportunity Index, ITU Korean Agency
  for Digital Opportunity (KADO) 2005

3
HK An Affluent ICT City

• Close to the top of most international ICT Chart
• Quite a high GDP per capita
• Median Household Monthly Income US3400
• Very affordable and efficient Broadband
• HH Penetration 70(PC), 64(Internet)

4
Poverty in An Affluent City

• Gini coefficient of 0.518, close to many
  developing countries
• Income disparity is widening
• Social mobility diminishing
• Society is polarizing (Rich versus Poor)

5
Digital Divide in an Affluent City
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Digital Divide - Local measurement

• Government statistics
• (thematic household surveys report 23)
• From 2001 onwards compiled annually

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Computer and internet penetration (Hong Kong)
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Internet divide across age
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Computer penetration across income
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Information have-not group

• Less likely to use Electronic Govt Services
• less supportive to the government investment in
  the development of IT
• less able to see the trend of daily life needing
  the assistance of information technology

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Non-computer users

• attribute to knowledge deficit
• Do not know how to use computer
• Lack of confidence/skills in using computer

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Government Intervention

• E-government use of electronic means to deliver
  govt services
• Has been patchy in helping disadvantaged groups
• laizze-faire, positive non-intervention
• Some programs to raise public awareness on ICT

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Strategy to Influence the Government

• Role of HK Council of Social Service
• Bringing Global agenda(WSIS) Govt attention
• Organizing round tables of WSIS to urge for local
  response
• Attending WSIS
• Suggestion to Govt to implement local actions

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Our Analysis

• All three sectors want to tackle the DD but were
  bound by their own constraints
• Government
• the overall non-intervention ideology
• Business Sector
• lack the technical know how
• NGOs
• lack finance and knowledge to sustain
  projects

15
Digital Solidarity Fund

• A tri-partite cooperation platform
• To formulate Digital Inclusion Strategies
• To provide financial support to DI programs
  organized in the community
• Raised around US350,000 so far
• US120,000 had gone to support 6 projects (out of
  59 applications) of various nature for 45,000
  under-privileged persons

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Challenges and Lessons learnt

• DI has to compete for attention with other social
  issues
• Measuring DD and establishing targets
• DI and overall policy framework
• R-ship between Programs Strategy
• From Access to Application / Content
• Sustainability Issues extension of donor base
  volunteer base