ApiAp - Research

A Case of Urban Cyber Cafés in Malaysia

admin — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 23:42:09 -0700

Sharifah Mariam Alhabshi of International Institute of Public Policy and Management, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur finds the use and existence of Cyber Cafés have become quite commonplace in several urban areas of the contemporary world. In case of developing countries, where the new communication technologies have been viewed as a powerful tool to foster development at a faster pace, the governments have been encouraging the use of these technologies across the masses in all possible ways, including Cyber Cafés. A typical example in this context is Malaysia where ICTs (Information Communication Technologies) have been promoted and backed up extensively by the government and the people are also enthusiastic about the new technology. It needs to be remembered, however, that technology can facilitate development on the one hand and can worsen a particular situation or give rise to new issues on the other, which call for attention from the governments as well as the peoples. In Malaysia, the Cyber Café trend begun in 1990s. Over the years, the normal usage (as professed by the government) has gradually dissipated. Cyber cafés have primarily emerged as entertainment hubs. The illicit activities in some of these Cafés pose a cultural threat to the norms of the Malaysian society, especially as these are becoming the centre of life for a number of students. Several government departments and agencies have been trying to improve the situation, with steps such as introduction of new legislation and rules. Strict punitive actions have also been taken, but the ground situation remains critical. Here, the results of a recent survey of Cyber Cafés in Kota Baharu and Kuala Lumpur territories are discussed. The results show that the problem is not entirely because of the users and operators alone, but also due to confusion on part of the authorities. The analysis of the situation in two territories suggests how the situation could be improved despite the present drawbacks. Read more : http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/egov/ifip/april2005/article3.htm

Cybercafes and their Potential as Community Development Tools in India

admin — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 23:39:59 -0700

German researcher Anikar M. Haseloff highlights the contribution of Cyber Cafes in bridging the Digital Divide in India . Haseloff, A. (2005, June 6). Cybercafés and their potential as Community Development Tools in India. The Journal of Community Informatics. http://www.ci-journal.net/viewarticle.php?id=68&layout=html

Survey on Mumbai Cyber Cafes - June 2005

admin — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 23:37:43 -0700

ApiAp conducted a sample survey on Cyber Cafes in Mumbai in June 2005. A random 40 cafes in Mumbai - South, Western Suburbs, & Central suburbs participated in the survey.

The primary data collection and survey was done by Mr Anshu Shukla & Shrish Kumar Tiwari , students of the Indian Institute of Information Technology ( IIIT) Allahabad, India.

Summary of the Survey:

The cyber café owners surveyed most of them offered Internet access, print & scan service.
77% of 40 respondents ’s cafe existence is less than 3 years 92.5% claimed they are some what satisfied with business.
80% of cafe own 6 to 10 terminals Most have invested less than Rs 200 thousand.
97% of cafes operate from rented premises.
Almost all access Internet through cable internet (ADSL connection or extended LAN networks using cat5 cables)
Median rate for Internet access fee is Rs 15/- per hour ( USD 0.34 ) Median traffic ranges from 34 - 40 visitors a day This converts into a probable Gross collection of just Rs 350 to 600 a day (USD 8-14)
Most cafes offer a significant discount to regular customers.
While 82% concurred to be their significant source of earning but at the same time 78% claimed other sources of earning too, popular options are PCO, DTP, Training etc.
55% claimed they know most of the customers, 30% claimed they know some of them & only 15% knew none of their customer.
When asked to rank the significant problems faced in operating the business: The number one problem was attributed to Business competition followed by Regulation problem, Hardware maintenance & last managing customers.
Only 43% & 39% of respondents knew the concept of Hacking & Piracy. 65% felt that their cafe can be misused but none could explain how.
95% of those surveyed claim to maintain a register of visitors for sake of business accounting, 15% even ask for proof of identity.
Conclusion: The Cyber café operations are not sustainable; most of the operators are early entrepreneurs. Although many claimed to be satisfied by the opportunity but then a significant 77% of the owners are in the business for less than 3 years, It is worthy to note the industry is over 8 years old. & The café business as hand in hand with the Internet rage had peeked in year 2000 with the burst of Dot COM bubble. Perhaps many have not factored the long-term capital cost recovery in the relative high operating cash flow thus look attractive. The low investment requirement added to low entry barrier & low skill base makes an ideal opportunity for micro entrepreneurs to start a venture. Subsequently Cyber café do not seem to be the main stay of the operator’s livelihood. Net earnings seem just about a bit higher than a salaried job for the same skill set. Most of the visitors frequent the same cafes & operators too are acquainted to them. Further for sake of business accounting most do maintain a rudimentary cross check systems. Thus detection of cyber crime under cover of anonymity offered by cyber café is not very non comprehendible But inferring from their responses on possibility of misuse of cafes, it seems most of them have a hazy understanding on Cyber security issues. It may be possible the café owners can be made gullible into abetting the crime. The whole scale policing of cyber café have proved an ineffective solution but a little support and nurturing of these micro entrepreneur community by way of awareness and recognition can certainly make cyber crime in the cover of anonymity manageable.

Thank you Anshu & Shirish & your other guides , Cyber Cafe operators owe you a lot ! We look forward more researchers like you & Anikar Haseloff take interest in this omni present yet anonymous participants in the ICT4D.

Enabling ICT for rural India - Study on impact of ICT projects

admin — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 23:35:46 -0700

Rafiq Dossani, D.C. Misra, Roma Jhaveri assess the impact of various ICT projects in rural India. They conclude that all the projects are still experimenting with how best to serve rural users through ICT. None has yet had a widespread socio-economic impact or even developed a catalytic, replicable approach. Nevertheless, there are successes and failures, good and bad practices and local demand to learn from in order to help frame the recommendations. Read the compete report : http://fsi.stanford.edu/publications/enabling_ict_for_rural_india_2005/