Digital divide by country

Education

The quality of life in Argentina is among one of the highest in South and Latin America, according to InterNations. The children are well educated in school, and they are given numerous opportunities to pursue afterwards.^[4] The Government created a project named "Conectar Igualdad" (Connecting Equality) where they distribute netbooks to students and teachers in primary school, special needs schools, and state institutes. Since the project began nearly 4,000,000 netbooks have been dispersed amongst them to 400 different schools and 7,500 different teachers. The program works in three parts: an internet connection to Wi-Fi, an established internet connection through a reliable network (giving students Internet access anywhere, even at home), and making use of a syntonizer for Digital TV, allowing students access to interactive live programs. In 2011, the Government launched another program named "Escuelas de Innovacion" (Schools of Innovation). The main goal is to guarantee students better access to education and technology.^[5] The Government of Argentina creates new and innovative projects each year for students and teachers to have greater access to the Internet. It plays an important role in their education and is a great opportunity for students and teachers to close the gap in the digital divide.

Government and Community

Information and communication technologies use in Bangladesh began to grow in 2005 with the introduction of market liberalization.^[7]

The government has been trying to help increase ICT availability to all Bangladeshis by reducing taxes on the VSAT and creating special projects to support the spread of ICTs.^[6] In 2006 the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh, GrameenPhone Ltd, introduced Community Information Centers (CICs), which are each equipped with two computers, printers, digital cameras and web cameras that can be used by the community.^[7] "There are over 500 CICs operating in 450 subdistricts in Bangladesh".^[7] Within the community, there is research suggesting that men benefit more from ICTs than women due to Bangladesh's gender discrimination.^[8] Bangladesh has the potential to grow and gain more access to ICTs if they continue to reduce government limitations and grow their economy.^[6]

Education

The education system in Bangladesh is divided up into three stages of schooling: primary school, secondary school, and a level of more formal education. Primary school lasts for five years for children aged 6 to 10, secondary school lasts for seven years, and the formal education level can last anywhere from two to six years. Government policies have been implanted since 2000 that has caused the Information Technology (IT) industry to grow in Bangladesh.^[9] Students started going to school in order to become a part of this growing workforce, taking lessons in English language, analytical thinking, and software development.^[9] The youth of Bangladesh are becoming educated in the technology available, which is a step in ending Bangladesh’s part in the global digital divide. A country can have access to technology but if the people do not understand how to use the technology than there is no difference between having it or not. Satisfaction and gratification from using the technology are key points in bridging the gap because the sense of accomplishment give the people confidence to use the technology.

Types of Internet Use (ICT)

There is a difference between material or physical access and actual use of ICTs. "According to Hargittai (2008), differences in the uses of ICTs have important implications for life outcomes". "Rojas and Puig-i-abril (2009) found that the most prevalent activities of Internet users in Colombia were checking e-mail, consuming entertainment content, chatting with friends, and consuming news and information." There are different levels of "use" including, non-use, low use, and frequent use while also taking into consideration the opportunities taken by the users. There is a difference in those who go online just for fun and those who use the internet for the improvement of themselves. (International Journal of Communication (19328036)) (Digital Divide in Colombia: The Role of Motivational and Material Access in the Use and Types of Use of ICTs).^[14]

Physical Access

One digital divide study displayed physical access as "having"/"not having" access to the internet. Those who are less fortunate have been shown to lack educational advantage, due to the fact of not having access to internet as common as those who are more fortunate in wealth. Communities that are more technological advanced offers their communities to expand their knowledge and be able to communicate with other worlds. The intellectual advantage is common for countries, such as Colombia, where the poor communities are lacking the opportunities offered to those who are on the other side of town with more advantage. Poor communities are focusing on trying to make ends meet, and working hard labor without being offered to make a change to better themselves. The internet plays an important role in this, due to the fact that the internet provides opportunities to explore new jobs and to widen individuals' knowledge. In certain areas where the communities are wealthy, the internet is provided at the access of their hands. Being able to access the internet so easily, gives privileged individuals the chance to go beyond their expectations and get their point out into the world.

Causes of the Digital Divide in Colombia

There is no singular cause of the Digital Divide in Colombia. A number of different factors each contribute to the variance of access to technology within Colombia. These factors include location, economic class, education, and others.

In Colombia, those located in large cities are 69% more likely to use the Internet.^[15] The high correlation between the use of ICTs and location in large industrial cities is one of the most visible examples of digital divide in Colombia. People located in rural parts of Colombia are significantly less likely to use ICTs and the internet regularly for various reasons. One leading cause is simply because people living in rural parts of the country tend to be less educated which is negatively correlated with technology use. The pastoral parts of Colombia are often much less developed than the large cities. Often, these rustic areas lack the technology and internet providers needed to further bridge the digital divide between large and small cities. A study of the Digital Divide in Colombia concerning residency included a population in which 21.6% of respondents lived in a small or medium-sized city (<1,000,000 inhabitants), while 78.4% lived in larger urban centers. This study showed that the vast majority of ICT usage occurred in large urban areas.

Bridging The Digital Divide

Education

In 2016, the Ethiopian government blocked all social media sites after an anonymous user posted copies of university entrance exams online. In an interview with Reuters News Agency, Mohammed Seid at the Office for Government Communications Affairs, said only social media sites were blocked but BBC News received conflicting reports from Ethiopian citizens who claimed that they experienced problems with both mobile networks and fixed line Internet services.^[27]

Roughly 40% of schools in Ethiopia have computers. Of that 40% most of the schools are located in Ethiopia'a capital, Addis Ababa. This in turn has created a divide between schools in urban cities like Addis Ababa and schools in rural areas. Most schools that are connected to the Internet have limited access and only use it for email that's solely for administrators. Many universities and higher learning institutions in Ethiopia have computers but the average ratio of students to computer is about 10:1. Only 15% of private universities in Ethiopia participate in Electronic Distance Education which is also known as online school. For many students, online education is a more convenient alternative to pursuing higher education because of their location.^[28]

There are two major initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide gap. SchoolNet Ethiopia is a joint initiative between Ministry of Education and the United Nations Development Programme that has equipped 181 schools with 15 networked computer labs. The Distance Learning initiative backed by The Ministry of Education has been working with the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India to provide master's degrees to students from the University of Addis Adaba in Ethiopia.^[28]

Effects

In a world almost completely reliant on technology and access to the internet, the digital divide in Ethiopia poses a major problem for its citizens and the effects are nearly detrimental in the current global economy. Without access to the internet, Ethiopia cannot compete with the rest of the world and this has caused many gradual effects. These include lack of education, continued economic depression, and a gross lack of transparency in the Ethiopian government, as well as many other smaller, trickle down effects. 

One of the greatest effects the digital divide has one Ethiopia is the lack of education. Approximately 39% of adult Ethiopians can read and a mere 55% of school aged children actually attend school full-time. With an essentially non-existent public education system in this poverty stricken country, the current lack of digital access does not help this matter. An improved access to the internet could help better educate Ethiopian children and with decreased costs as well.

Another effect of the gross disparity in digital access is the economic impact on Ethiopia's economy. Ethiopia is currently one of 19 remaining countries on earth without a true stock exchange. Without access to capital and investments, Ethiopia’s economy is growing at a snail pace of 5.4% in 2017. The digital divide plays a major factor in this because without access to technology the economy cannot keep up with the rest of the world.  

The Ethiopian government has a very well established reputation of being suppressive and corrupt throughout the world, and the digital divide also impact this. The few citizens with access to the internet who participate in the media are often heavily censored. With access to the internet, freedom of speech would be more easily accessible and less censored. The Ethiopian government would benefit from this because with more fair media coverage there would be less government corruption thus making Ethiopia a more stable country to invest in.

Gender

Ethiopian women experience more barriers to overcoming this digital divide than men, resulting in a gender gap. Many of these barriers are socially constructed through discriminating gender roles. Women's time and mobility are restricted by the expectation placed on them to bear the most household chores and management, keeping them too busy for educational or leisurely use of technology. Technological devices such as radios or movie showings are gendered as masculine tools and toys that are unfit for women. The restriction on time and mobility placed on women to work at home also cuts down on female participation in education, making them less comfortable with the idea of using computers and mobile phones because they believe themselves to not be educated enough to understand the devices or software. The risks of exploitation or exposure to pornography or harassment online also discourage the use of technology.^[29][30][31]

Women could benefit from measures to increase their access to technology and close the digital divide between the genders. Access to technology and the internet would provide a wealth of information that is vital to entrepreneurship and practicing democracy. Policies and laws that discriminate against women and other social and political inequalities can be discussed and changed by allowing more effective means of communication and organization for those who fight for women's rights.^[31][32][33]

Internet Accessibility

In France, internet accessibility is not equally distributed among the entire population.^[34] Factors that determine internet accessibility in the French community are age, education, and income. Higher internet availability was found among French residents younger than 30 years of age, completed some level of higher education, and are currently employed or in school.^[35]

Language

A language system is normally included in information and communication technologies. Certain languages are more prominent in ICT's than others. Data collected in 2007 states that 45% of information on the internet is in English while 4.41% is in French.^[37] A separate study published by UNESCO in 2009 compared the amount of Wikipedia articles available per language. 2,259,431 articles (23.078%) were available in English and 629,004 articles (6.425%) were available in French.^[38] Of the total population in France, only 39% speak English.^[39]

Solutions

France has made significant impact on closing the digital divide.^[40] Technological advancements and government funded programs have led to several innovative solutions and a narrowed gap between social classes within the nation regarding internet access and technological availability.^[41]

In 2004 the French government began a program to curb the nation’s digital divide and starting offering a computer with high speed internet access to 1.2 million of its poorest citizens for just 1 euro a day. Mainly to ensure they would have access to the growing number of government services available online. Prime Minister Villepin announced the plan after a meeting of the interministerial committee for the Information Society. A similar project also launched in 2004 sought to put internet connected computers into the hands of university students, also for 1 euro a day, and between September 2004 and September 2005 the number of students with laptops rose from 8 to 22 percent.^[42]

The French Center for Strategic Analysis released several recommendations for bridging the digital divide in 2011. Since many digital divides exist they have decided to take political actions to close the gaps. They also want to use public information campaigns to educate people.^[43] For poor and uneducated households they will work to lower the costs associated with network access and also help with the cost of various types of devices for people to access those networks. There is an effort to try and better integrate older people into the digital society, by offering them assistance and education when it comes to participating in the digital society.^[44] They will integrate the use of digital technologies in education to highlight good internet practices and to reduce the inequalities in schools. There is a push to showcase 'digital natives', which are those who were born into the digital world, adapting new social behaviors because of the way they integrate new interactive technology into their lives.^[43]

Minitel System

The Minitel System was one of France's earliest attempts to bridge the gap caused by the digital divide. The Minitel System, influenced greatly by the French government, was introduced in 1983 and "laid the groundwork for France's computerized future".^[45] The system provided French telephone users with access to online databases through their own personal phone line for no extra charge. The videotex service was accessed through a text-interface monitor and keyboard.^[46] Initially the system provided access only to things like phone books; however, in little time, users would be able to access numerous online services that allowed them to do things like view and pay bills and online shop. France Telecom made the service more user friendly, bundling users’ online purchases and telephone bills together. The Mintier System continued to grow and was able to provide access to "more than 20,000 online services before the World Wide Web even got off the ground".^[45] By the end of the 1980s, "every adult living in France had access to the network". The system proved to be very successful and continued to provide online content to French phone users until its demise in 2012.^[45]

Libraries

One in four European internet users access the internet only outside of their home; this means that 1/4 of the current European internet users would not have access to the internet at all if it weren't for places with free public access to the internet such as government funded programs like libraries.^[47] The libraries of France are considered to be largely influenced by their political intentions to level the success and education levels amongst the social classes.^[47] These libraries are strategically placed in low income areas and on the outskirts of big cities where incomes tend to be lower and crime and unemployment rates tend to be higher.^[47] Unlike the uNited States and comparable nations, French libraries have extended hours and are open on all days of the week.^[41] Librarians working in these facilities generally have an aspiration to help those of struggling communities enhance their education and learn to use new technology. These facilities have proven to be helpful in bridging the gap between high and low income social classes by exposing French citizens of low income areas to new technology, providing them with access to the internet, and thus lowering unemployment rates.^[48]

Cultural cause

According to the Japanese Statistics Bureau, MPHPA, and World Internet Project Japan, in 2001, 44% of the population was online, and 41% of that group were females. Additionally, figures point to declining disparity among internet access in various socioeconomic classes and gender. Additionally, figures show that younger Japanese individuals use the internet as compared to older Japanese individuals. All gaps are shown to be narrowing.^[52] A study produced at the University of Buffalo shows that the Japanese consider advanced ICTs a common commodity, not as necessary for advancement.^[53]

Population

Japan is divided into territorial divisions and depending on which geographic area that you live in, and everyone either has internet or no one has internet.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there are a total of 39 “Zero Broadband Areas” in Japan. This is where there is no broadband access for even a single household within the district. This means Japanese citizens cannot get broadband even if they wanted to because there is no broadband infrastructure in their neighborhood. For some territorial divisions the coverage is up to 99.8% of the people in this area have access to broadband. This leads to a digital divide, but the divide is more drastic at the ends of the curve depending on where you live.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is aiming to improve broadband penetration in remote areas of Japan, but businesses aren’t exactly queuing up to provide expensive infrastructure to hook up remote islands and mountain villages. Japan has more than 4000 islands, 260 of which are inhabited. Japan’s land is also 73% mountainous or hilly, and whilst the population is concentrated mainly in the alluvial plains and coastal areas, there are significant populations living in remote valleys deep in the mountains mainly engaged in agriculture or forestry. It is difficult to justify building out a fiber-based infrastructure to a remote island, or to a dead end mountain ravine community miles from anywhere.^[54]

Possible solutions

The internet users in Japan are increasing at an exponential rate but there are still areas demographically do not receive optimal broadband satellite communications in Japan. A possible solution for this is to launch more satellites for those areas.^[55] Globally separated into categories of 58% female(most pronounced in Africa, Arab states and Asia-Pacific), 60% rural,poor, illiterate and elderly are offline. ITU provides idea/plans for these focus groups to increase the amount of internet users. Rural areas need to implement a low-cost,given the lower household income is lower in these areas, another idea for rural areas is to provide pubic building that will have available internet access.

Limitations to Internet Access

Some of the main limitations for access are education, gender, and age. People with lower education are less likely to access technology or further their professionalism in the information technology field. Moroccan women can often find that they do not have the same sort of opportunities to technology professions and internet usage. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was formed to increase opportunities for women and a project called "Achieving E-Quality in the IT Sector in Morocco" has been set up for women to be presented with, increasing their professionalism. Ten universities currently participate in this project in an active effort to close the gender gap within the digital divide.^[60]

There is a discernible age gap between individuals who are active on social media and the internet and those who are not. Those aged 14–25 tend to be more familiar with the different social trends and access them much faster than the older generations. A large attribution to this is the lack of literacy in many adults. In 2010, 56%^[61] of Morocco's population was illiterate. While children able to go to school are learning to read, write and use various forms of technology; many of their parents do not have access to these same resources and may not have had access while they were growing up. The largest city of Morocco, Casablanca, has a population of 3,544,498 as of 2016. Around 57.6% of the people throughout Morocco had access to the internet in 2016 while the rural population was 39.32%.^[62] With a little over half of the population having access to internet many adults that lack literacy skills are currently living in rural areas with minimal access and usage of the internet, yet for their children they have the opportunity to occasionally access the internet through schooling.

Solutions

The government of Morocco has become increasingly involved in closing the digital divide being experienced by the country. Morocco lags behind in the digital world and steps are actively being taken to fix this. One plan that has been put in place is called “Maroc Numeric 2013”.^[63] This plan was initiated in 2013 in an attempt to get Morocco more involved in the digital world as well as provide some protections for internet users. This plan has the potential to boost the nation's economy by creating jobs. The plans passed in government legislation also work to reduce some of the costs associated with internet connection and usage by ensuring that internet services can operate on a free market with little to no control unlike the newspapers and television stations of the region.^[64] Despite efforts by the Moroccan government there is still some gap in digital connection among its people. The wealthier population still has higher internet access than those that are poorer. There has been some improvement with the help of free market competition to make access to the internet more readily available to all people.^[65]

According to Samuel Lee, Fabian Seiderer and Lida Bteddini, one potential solution could be increasing and improving the lines of communication between the Moroccan government and it’s people who have expressed much interest in being involved with legal legislation and having more access to knowledge online.^[66] A final solution might be updating the original plan, “Digital Morocco 2013” that was put in place in an attempt to bridge the digital divide. While the plan has led to some improvement, connectivity and usage of the internet is still limited to the more educated and urban regions of the Moroccan kingdom.^[67]

Economic issues

Myanmar is a country with low income level and most internet access is on cellphones, because of the low simcard cost. The people who live above the poverty line have all kinds of modern-day access unlike the average or poor who struggle in the everyday necessities.^[68] In 2009 it was recorded that 0.94 percent of Myanmar's population had cell phone subscriptions, due to low trade and economic power.^[69][70] The people who live above the poverty line have all kinds of modern-day access unlike the average or poor who struggle in the everyday necessities.^[68] In 2016 Myanmar's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaged $1,275.02 US dollars, which contrasts with that of the United States at an average of $57,466.79 dollars.^[71][72]

Myanmar internet demographics

The amount of internet users in Myanmar has increased significantly in the last few years. In 2014, there were 2 million internet users in Myanmar. That number, however, increased to 39 million users by 2016. The cause of this drastic increase in internet users was caused mainly by the massive increase in SIM card sales recorded through May 2016. This combined with a more aggressive network roll-out by mobile providers to other regions, a decline in SIM card prices, the lowered prices of voice and data plans, and the lowered cost of mobile phones all led to this major increase in mobile sales and subscriptions over that two-year period. Because this market is beginning to reach its maturity stage, significant slowdown is predicted to occur by 2022.^[73][74]

Gender digital divide

Nearly 30% of women are less likely to have access to a mobile device in Myanmar.^[75] The cell phone is the main source of internet access in the country. Because of this deficit in internet access between the genders there is a Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar. There is also a significant wage gap between men and woman in addition to limited leadership positions available to be filled. Due to this woman are not as equally represented and often listed as a dependent. This gap contributes to the lack of resources, furthering the lack of digital activity for women. Currently Myanmar is working to close the gap by using more ICT’s in daily life in order to educate women. However, due to the economic difference between to genders, women are less likely to have access to ICT’s. "IREX’s Tech Age Girls (TAG) program is addressing this gap in opportunity, providing more than 100 young women in Myanmar with the technology and leadership skills they need to achieve their goals and become agents of change."^[76]

Economic Possibilities

Solutions

There have been some attempts to close or lessen the digital divide in Nepal, such as Mahabir Pun's Nepal Wireless Networking Project, which was launched with the intent to help bring wireless technologies.^[84] Some areas are also holding classes in digital literacy in order to help people in rural areas gain knowledge and experience with technology.^[85] The courses will provide the Nepalese with skills that they are able to utilize in their schooling and careers.^[86] The widening digital divide in Nepal has also prompted the government to step in, due to worries that the lack of digital literacy will have a negative impact on the country and its economy.^[87] Officials are working towards closing the gap by introducing new programs that will give people the ability to utilize technology more easily than before. Large brand name companies are also making efforts to eliminate the digital divide in Nepal. Microsoft Nepal is providing resources to improve digital literacy as well as increasing access to technology.^[88]

Cell phone coverage

Pakistan has five major cell phone providers. The five are (in order from most to fewest subscribers): Jazz 51.88 million; Telenor 39.37 million; Zong 27.71 million; Ufone 18.46 million; and Warid 12 million. Recently in May 2017, the Pakistani government decided to lower tariffs and taxes on cellular services as well as on mobile phones. The reasons for this decision included years of pressure from the nation's top mobile operators and a World Bank report pointing out Pakistan's high taxing of telecom services in the region.^[94]

Gender and caste

In rural Pakistan, cell service use is divided along gender lines. Karin Astrid Siegmann pointed out this disparity; 40 percent of female users have to ask permission from the male owners to make calls. Cell phones being in the hands of females is viewed unfavorably in Pakistani culture. According to one participant in the study, from the Muzzafargarh district in rural Pakistan, "Women don't even know how to dial a number."^[95] Additionally, the percentage of women owning a cell phone is 36% compared to men at 78% overall.^[96]

Besides gender, there is a distinct divide among castes. Newer castes rank much more highly on the Digital Access Index (DAI) than do the older castes. The same study compared two political parties. One political party, called the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf), was composed of newer castes (Khan, Hashmi, Alvi, and Qureshi). The Muslim League is composed of older castes. The PTI outperformed the Pakistan Muslim League in number of foreign visitors to its web site, with a combined percentage of 12.7%, and in websites linking to it with 450, compared to the Muslim League's 168 (See Table 6 page 354). Ahsan Abdullah elaborates the important background of these findings: "Members of the new caste traditionally have not been farmers; for example, members of the Sheikh caste are traditionally traders, and members of the Syed caste traditionally hold religious offices, and hence they have to be better educated as compared to the old caste members. The old caste members, who are traditionally farmers, require tacit knowledge more than education to be successful. This observation is supported by the higher literacy rate in new castes as compared to the old caste members, with Pathan, Sheikh, and Syed being the top three educated castes among the 12 castes considered."^[97]

Solutions

Besides Private efforts, Public efforts put forth by the Pakistani government would help bridge the digital divide. There is an ambitious undertaking called the Universal Services Fund which would aim to provide broadband coverage to the whole nation by 2018.^[98]

Impact on politics and culture

Based on Philippines government research, there is a noticeable rise of Internet use in the Philippines after it was first introduced on March 29, 1994. “They were connected to the internet via SprintLink”,^[103] this changed the Philippines culturally and politically. Social media is a leading motive for Internet use in the Philippines, but Internet use also plays a big part in their political communications. The Philippine presidential election of Estrada is where Internet use for politics started to take form.^[104] Due to the protests, Filipinos used Internet to display charges against Estrada.^[104]

Education

The Philippines was the only country in the Southeast Asia region that had a declining youth literacy rate between the years of 1990 and 2004, according to data from the United Nations. This prompted major school reforms and in 2012, a K-12 school curriculum was introduced which included a year of kindergarten and two senior school years. The Department of Education in the Philippines (DepEd) goal for students who graduate from the K-12 curriculum is for these students to understand technology works and how they can benefit from it.^[105]

The curriculum of this program focuses on developing students to be comfortable with using computers and technology. Some examples are that in grade 4 students will learn how to use the basic functions of the computer, including the use of the internet and emailing, in safe ways. In grade 6, students will begin taking art classes to learn how to use technology for digital paintings and graphic designs. In grade 7, students will begin learning how to academically use the internet for journals and searching for academic sources for essays and other similar assignments. In the higher upper level grades, the curriculum will include schools that specialize in computer education as well as science and technology. The Philippines being able to close in on the technology gap after being so behind in the 90's and early 2000's is going to very much improve the graduation rate of the students now that they can study at home and use their sources to their advantage through tablets and computers instead of only being able to access their school work in the classroom.^[106]

Drawbacks of digital divide in Korea

South Korea has become a more influential country with bandwidth.

As transiting society from industrial to de-industrial, information and knowledge can be substituted with capital and product in important social matter.^[108] 

However, the nature of information and knowledge, through commercialization process in capitalism, could make a greater problem than supposition. So, information and knowledge is different from previous product( shoes, clothes, food so on) in that information and knowledge’s cyclic process from creating and application to extinction is most fast.^[109] Also, those alteration in quantity and quality is unpredictable. From the nature of information and knowledge, those could make enormous social inequality(ex. class, state, sex, education, region etc.) ^[110] Furthermore, a global effect feature, one of the information and knowledge’s nature, can deepen global inequality and further sharpen the 2080 society, called Pareto's law.^[111]

Reasons and correlating variables

Internet demographics

Vietnam has a population of 96 million people, and 34.9%^[123] of the population is urban. Despite this, 53%^[124] of the country’s population currently has access to the Internet. According to a study conducted by market research company Statista^[125] in 2016, more than 91 percent of daily Internet users were between the ages of 25 and 34.^[126] However, despite the expansion in access, Internet quality remains poor in rural areas, and Vietnam ranks 16th^[124] among other Asian countries with the most Internet users. Vietnam also has a slower average data transfer speed than neighbor countries. Compared to Singapore’s average of 16.5 Mbit/s, Vietnam’s average is 5.0 Mbit/s.^[127]

Government censorship

For individuals with access to the Internet, government censorship becomes another obstacle because the three Internet service providers in Vietnam (FPT Telecom,^[128] Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Corporation,^[129] and Viettel^[130]) are owned by the government and military.^[131] The Vietnamese government restricts user access to websites that are critical of the government or feature politically sensitive content, as well as the websites of select human rights organizations.^[131] In 2016, Facebook and Instagram were temporarily blocked in an effort by the government to crack down on social media due to rising unrest in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.^[132] Hundreds of citizens protested in city streets regarding the government’s delayed response to an environmental disaster in which millions of dead fish washed ashore. It was believed by locals to be the fault of Formosa Plastics.^[132]

Increasing information and communication technology

In 2011, The World Bank extended a project for an additional two years in an attempt to complete the process of installing software and conducting training. This technology and training would potentially allow for the expansion of small businesses, enhance current operating systems and disseminate information on a larger scale. Due to the slow Internet speeds in Vietnam, obtaining information was difficult. However, this attempt at closing the digital divide was unsuccessful and expensive, totaling 106.97 million US dollars.^[133] Although this project was unsuccessful, organizations are still working to solve the issue of the digital divide.