BYTES FOR ALL

Frederick Noronha / Par tha Pratim Sarkar

Realities of the Third World = a modem costs more than a cow + access to telecommunication is a privilege + information by definition is a property of the government.

Welcome to South Asia. This talent-rich, resource-poor, tragic powerhouse of immense software skills, finds its abilities recognized across the globe. And yet millions here can’t find the solutions that could make their life a little less of a struggle.

Likewise, software brains from the region are serving some of the biggest companies on the globe. But it also finds itself ironically unable to afford the prices of “legal” software that it very badly needs for itself. The term “poverty” is most significantly used without addressing its roots to global exploitation. Northern trade interests ensure a conditional access to technology for the urban middle class of the developing nations. For the majority of the world population, IT is a faraway phenomenon let alone a necessary item, as the global village represents the global middle class only. Information, on the other hand, information is strictly denied in the name of state ownership. Imposing huge taxes on VSATs, creating bureaucratic impediments, controlling telephone access are what is rewarded to most of the cases. A fusion of all these create a power structure that fits hand in glove with the interests of local and international elite.

But we simply can’t afford to be indifferent to these developments and to let this technology pass by. Here again, IT is the subversive tool that can be effectively used to challenge the whole trend and to reverse the system to the benefits of southern countries in general and of our people in particular. bytes for all, an online newsletter from South Asia, stands on this philosophy. It tries to explore the possibilities and examples of such usage. Some of the most relevant software/Internet/computer/IT ventures in South Asia, ironically, fail to get the attention they merit. Showcasing these alternative IT practices may not be perceived as good business sense for the mainstream media.

bytes for all is an attempt to swim against the tide. Through a web site and an e-mail based mailing list, we hope to update interested readers about new and interesting ventures. Attempts that focus on people before profits. This initiative regularly brings articles, news bits and information clips on interesting and people-oriented IT practices in this region. It works as a one-stop information center where people involved in these initiatives can find their collaborators, can discuss issues pertaining to their interests, can know more about the developments and can be aware of other initiatives. It also organizes different campaigns with regard to ICT developments in the third world countries.