Digital Divide Figures Flawed

As world leaders gather in Geneva to discuss the digital divide, a UN body has suggested that the technology gap may not be as wide as was believed.

The International Telecommunication Union said the flawed statistics on internet use worldwide were giving a misleading picture of the situation across the world.

"The number of internet users in most developing countries is usually based on government guesstimates or vague estimates", said Vanessa Gray, report co-author.

Part of the problem was that most internet surveys are carried out in industrialised countries by private companies.

By comparison, not a single net study has been carried out in 59 of the poorest countries, said the report.

Skills gap

"A close link exists between the digital and statistical divide", says Michael Minges, lead author of the ITU report.

The study highlighted that many developing nations conducting surveys were being surprised by the number of people online.

In Peru, a survey found twice as many users in the capital, Lima, than had previously been estimated for the entire country.

In Mexico, a recent study uncovered twice as many users than earlier estimates.

The UN body said these findings suggested that the digital divide may not be as wide in some places as was earlier assumed.

It also suggested that the key issues for the world leaders meeting in Geneva were the cost of computers and going online, together with having the skills to use the latest technology...

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