For a feminist policy wonk who also has an interest in how technology interacts with policy, it seems that all the goodies are hidden in the business section of the New York Times. This week's Sunday edition featured an article on how government agencies are squelching inefficiency by entering full-fledged into the digital age. A part of me is glad that some government officials are now aware that computers can crunch numbers and summarize data. But it seems that a little advancement here and there may have to be weighed against possible disadvantages.
I, for one, am a little concerned that in all this technology talk, particularly with respect to government agencies moving information online, not a word was mentioned about the Digital Divide. It's not news that low-income people of color and women are devastatingly impacted by decreased access to technology. But as states and state agencies experience budget constraints, activists must keep an eye out to insure that these creative measures are sensitive to the needs of these communities.
Data consolidation is one thing, but how will "automated government services" impact consumers? More specifically, how much computer literacy will be needed to interact with these agencies? I'm not saying that agencies should stay in the Stone Age per se; But, before these agencies pull a George Jetson, they should assess the technological literacy of their communities through surveys or other methods. Also, they should use some of the savings from implementing these new high tech programs to invest in more free Wi-Fi hotspot locations and free technology education workshops--that run at night and provide childcare.
Along with the issue of access is the issue of privacy. The image of giant technology companies salivating at the increasing demand for tech services from government agencies makes me cautious. When government agencies make business deals with corporations such as IBM, city dwellers and privacy activists should be vigilant about these deals being compliant with the Principles of Fair Information Practice. That is, in the case of Dubuque, Iowa, it should be clear to constituents how much consumer information IBM, as an investor for their initiative, has access to and how this data will be used. In the end, efficiency in government shouldn't make it harder for low-income Americans to participate or cost Americans their privacy.
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Indeed, the proper use of technology should make it *easier* for low-income Americans to participate and *protect* their privacy. As an IT professional, I can vouch that this can be done, but that the government and other organizations tend to overlook accessibility issues.
One of the best things organizations can do, is make sure their websites are standards compliant and tested for browser compatibility. When consult with nonprofits, I always tell them that if their site doesn't work on a typical public library computer, they're blocking access to the demographics that need it the most.
Although this is starting to change, most websites are tested against Microsoft Internet Explorer only. The problem with that is that IE doesn't follow the standards for how web pages should be displayed, so anything designed for it probably looks bad or doesn't even work on other browsers. Add the fact that to upgrade IE, you often have to upgrade Windows, and to upgrade Windows you often have to buy a new computer, and you're in a situation where a huge and unnecessary burden has been placed on low-income individuals if they want equal access to information.
For anyone who wants to know more about accessibility and privacy in IT, check out the EFF, the Firefox web browser, and the Ubuntu Linux operating system.
This is definitely true though it's worth noting the new versions of IE (e.g., 7 and especially 8) are alot more compliant with standards and behave alot more like other browsers such a firefox, goodle chrome, etc.
I agree that the proper use of technology should actually make it easier and more accessible to people. It's just a matter of how it's implemented.
Wonderful article. A co-issue to be worked at the same time is improving access to computer facilities for low-income people and improving computer skills for people who are not comfortable with the technology.
The same is true for health care reform and existent social service agencies for the poor, disabled, or ill. These programs require a degree of education and intellect to know how to navigate them and obtain the deserved benefits, but they are frequently set up by wonks who clearly forget this. There simply aren't enough patient advocates out there who can help people obtain what they badly need, but modifying the existing system would be a much better option, in my humble opinion.
If you are truly interested in these subjects it will be quite important for you to become acquainted with the free software movement. You can find out about them here:
http://www.gnu.org/
Also, you may like the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
http://www.eff.org/