Navigating the nature of digital divide: protecting township communities

WHEN you are in need there’s a temptation to express gratitude without questioning. Any form of clarity seeking service is often associated with being ungrateful; this is clearly visible when one looks at the digital divide challenge in South Africa.

- WESLEY.INTEL

It was once fashionable for businesses to donate computers without the necessary support and gifting of connectivity. That approach is nearing the end of its cycle. Those replaced such gifts sit with the burden of storage or even keeping hardware that is hardly functioning.

We are now beginning to see a similar trend in the press, enabling access to internet via a contrived challenge in townships has attracted solution providers who are offering micro-loanings. On the one hand they are providing useful tools that are enabling access to information and other resources.

On the other hand they are also probably deploying connectivity that is compromising privacy, violating data terms, ignoring community consent laws and denying communities will deserved compensation for building connectivity infrastructure in communities.

Currently there’s no evidence that suggests that there’s any form of violation. What is lacking is the governance around the deployment of technology.