The drawbacks of new technology

New technology has been a real boon to many third world nations

How can we be sure new technologies won't have a negative impact, asks Bill Thompson

Coming up with ideas for new digital products and services is hardly difficult in this world of rapid technological development and increasing access to computers and the network.

Anyone with a vague grasp of the capabilities of internet-connected devices should be able to think of two or three innovations over an overpriced latte, in their nearest 'third space' coffee shop.

Having ideas may be easy, but deciding which to pursue and turning them into reality is difficult work with a low likelihood of success.

There's a lot of support for entrepreneurs in business, and the recent announcement that 35 UK companies will be going to the South by South-West interactive conference in Austin, Texas as part of government-sponsored 'Digital Mission' is a good demonstration of how to help growing companies.

Non-commercial ventures need help too, and it can be hard to find. Yet when it's available it can make a real difference, as I found out at a conference in Cambridge last week.

Digital divide

Two years ago, the EPSRC - one of the UK research funding agencies - offered money to four development projects that were concerned with bridging the global digital divide, and last week they held a review meeting where all the project teams could come together and talk about their experiences to date.

In this increasingly connected world, we are, at some point, going to have to discuss the ethical dimension of our innovations Bill Thompson

Because I'd been involved in the very early stages of the project, I took the opportunity to find out how the ideas that we'd discussed so long ago were progressing.

Project update

Storybank is helping rural communities in India to create and share audiovisual material, the Village e-science project helps farmers in sub-Saharan Africa develop their agricultural practices, and the Rural e-services work offers support for Indian villagers to help design ICT systems that serve their needs.

The fourth project, Fair Tracing, is trying to make it possible for consumers to find out more about Fair Trade goods they buy, perhaps even being able to tell precisely who made them.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for the project teams to hear from some of those working at the sharp end of ICT use in development, like Paula Kotz