In The News

Why Smart Africa Is Smart Policy

Stuart N. Brotman July 9, 2015
In 2013, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union at that time organized a summit to address Africa’s need for information communication technology, or ICT, an endeavor they called “Transform Africa.” More than 1,200 delegates from different countries, corporations and civil society groups discussed how to bring ICT to Africa. They...

Apple Lets Down Its Asia Users

Vanson Soo February 5, 2015
Apple’s Asian fans may soon rethink their commitment to iPhones and iPads. “Apple Inc. has caved in to Chinese demands for security inspections of its China-made devices including iPhones, iPads and Mac computers,” reports security consultant Vanson Soo for Asia Sentinel. “If only Apple users managed to chuck away their cult mentality and come to their senses about their privacy and security...

Cellphones Can Spark Change in North Korea

Christopher Mims January 5, 2015
North Korea has about 2 million cell phones, accessed by the wealthiest in the urban centers. “In a 14-month span between 2012 and 2013, the number of mobile-phone subscribers in North Korea doubled to two million from one million, and it now may exceed 2.5 million, according to Orascom Telecom Media & Technology Holding of Egypt, which provides cell service to North Korea in a joint venture...

Map of International Phone Calls Explains Globalization

Tim Fernholz November 12, 2014
International phone calls were once limited to wealthy nations. Shipper DHL has released its third edition of global connectedness index that tracks all manner of exchanges between countries, describing it as detailed analysis of the state of globalization. Tim Fernholz focuses on phone calls for Quartz and reports that growing diasporas of workers and dropping phone rates are driving global...

China’s IPhone 6 Craving Leads to Fistfight in Connecticut

Doni Bloomfield September 25, 2014
Companies can drive global hype with a slow release of a new product. The iPhone 6 is assembled in China, but consumers in that nation may have to wait months for the device to appear on store shelves. Enterprising traders in the United States see an opportunity to snap up phones for resale in China at four times the price or more, but some stores limit sales per customer. Traders accrue a large...

Targeting Turkey: How Germany Spies on Its Friends

Nikolaus Blome, Hubert Gude, Sven Röbel, Jörg Schindler and Fidelius Schmid August 20, 2014
Germany has been a leading critic of the widespread US National Security Agency surveillance program, yet the country has also done its share of spying on friends and allies, including former and current secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry as well as Turkey. The intended target for the US officials was Islamic terrorists, but “intelligence sources now say that US office holders...

Google to Spread the Web With $1 Billion Worth of Satellites

Kris Holt July 4, 2014
Google is in a hurry to extend its reach and connect the world to the internet by installing a fleet of satellites. The company that started by providing a popular search engine is investing in a range of other technologies, including alternative energies and driverless vehicles. The company also aids internet use with Project Loon, a network of high-altitude balloons, quick to build and...