Editing Digital divide (section)

=== Global level===

{{main|Global digital divide}}
{{see also|World Summit on the Information Society|Digital divide by country}}

The divide between differing countries or regions of the world is referred to as the [[global digital divide]], which examines the technological gap between developing and developed countries.<ref name="ChinnFairlie">Chinn, Menzie D. and Robert W. Fairlie. (2004). ''The Determinants of the Global Digital Divide: A Cross-Country Analysis of Computer and Internet Penetration. Economic Growth Center''. Retrieved from [https://web.archive.org/web/20050129222452/http://www.econ.yale.edu/growth_pdf/cdp881.pdf]</ref> The divide within countries (such as the [[digital divide in the United States]]) may refer to inequalities between individuals, households, businesses, or geographic areas, usually at different [[Socioeconomics|socioeconomic]] levels or other demographic categories. In contrast, the global digital divide describes disparities in access to computing and information resources, and the opportunities derived from such access.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lu |first1=Ming-te |title=Digital Divide in Developing Countries |journal=Journal of Global Information Technology Management |date=July 2001 |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=1–4 |doi=10.1080/1097198x.2001.10856304 |s2cid=153534228 }}</ref> As the internet rapidly expands it is difficult for developing countries to keep up with the constant changes. In 2014 only three countries ([[China]], [[US]], [[Japan]]) host 50% of the globally installed bandwidth potential.<ref name="HilbertBitsDivide" /> This concentration is not new, as historically only ten countries have hosted 70–75% of the global telecommunication capacity (see Figure). The U.S. lost its global leadership in terms of installed bandwidth in 2011, replaced by China, who hosted more than twice as much national bandwidth potential in 2014 (29% versus 13% of the global total).<ref name="HilbertBitsDivide" />

Some [[zero-rating]] programs such as [[Facebook Zero]] offer free/subsidized data access to certain websites. Critics object that this is an anti-competitive program that undermines [[net neutrality]] and creates a "[[Walled garden (technology)|walled garden]]".<ref>{{cite web |last=Heuler |first=Hilary |date=2015-05-15 |title=Who really wins from Facebook's 'free internet' plan for Africa? |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/who-really-wins-from-facebooks-free-internet-plan-for-africa/ |access-date=2022-08-29 |work=ZDNet}}</ref> A 2015 study reported that 65% of [[Nigerians]], 61% of [[Indonesians]], and 58% of [[Indian people|Indians]] agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet" compared with only 5% in the US.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mirani |first=Leo |date=February 9, 2015 |title=Millions of Facebook users have no idea they're using the internet |url=http://qz.com/333313/milliions-of-facebook-users-have-no-idea-theyre-using-the-internet/ |publisher=Quartz}}</ref>