I am saddened with what I read here.
While we all are trying very hard to bridge the gap between connected and unconnected world, where connectedness could bring hope and opportunity, talking so negatively about this commendable initiative of enabling computing for people who otherwise could not afford it, is saddening!
I hope the guys at Kaspersky will explain that they really did not mean what came out in the press.
Melih
G’day,
I fail to see what they were on about!!!
Is he worried that they (the underpriveleged in third world countries) would become easy victims to malware (Exactly how do you transmit a goat or a rock over the net? Do grain silos have
pin numbers?), or does he think that receiving a $100 dollar minimalist laptop will instantly turn them into technologists with a criminal bent?
Negroponte’s program to connect and enrich the underpriveleged is one of the finest gestures in the last fifty years. The potential for the growth of those less fortunate than those reading this forum is immeasurable, and his efforts should be encouraged and fostered by all.
I’m hopeful that the comments attributed to Kaspersky Labs have been taken out of context or have been misquoted.
Ewen 
(WCF3)
Seems a bit like a case of the pot calling the kettle black, especially since the former Soviet Union was a major source of virus authors long before China got on the scene.
The major factor in encouraging virus development seems to me to be a lot of highly educated people with no legitimate outlet for their talents.
Interesting. I’m sure I read somewhere Microsoft plans to introduce a subscription based service for people to use PC’s who can’t afford to. Would this not cause the same problem?
Mike
You hit the nail on the head! highly educated and no outlet for their talent! The problem the $100 computer will solve is not getting the education level from mid to high! But it will get the education level from almost none to medium! And hey, if they get lots of highly educated users, then I am sure Kaspersky could contribute by setting up an office there and pay these people for helping fight malware!
Melih
Another “unintended side effect” Kaspersky doesn’t mention is that security suites that cost another 80% of a $100 laptop are likely to be bypassed by the impoverished for excellent freely available security software.
There goes someones market share.
that’s another problem, all of these security suites today are so expensive. I read somewhere that for ever 1 license norton sells 100 copies are pirated. So norton has to charge that one person who buys, enough money to cover loses over the stolen ones. If AV vendors would charge a reasonable price, let’s say $10 per year people would be much more willing to pay and they would actually make more money. That is why they are loosing to free vendors.
I think, really think, the article is biased toward poor people and poor nations.
There is misuse of financial resources in every country of the world.
People who develop malware aren’t poor ones that could buy a cheap computer or receive it from donation.
"A particular cause for concern is programs which advocate 'cheap computers for poor third world countries'," Kaspersky writes. "These further encourage criminal activity on the internet. Statistics on the number of malicious programs originating from specific countries confirm this: the world leader in virus writing is China, followed by Latin America, with Russia and Eastern European countries not far behind."I'm really disappointed of this point of view. Discriminatory. Cheap computers encourage criminals? I can't believe. Criminals have computers much better than mine... Really disappointed of this Kaspersky judgment.
Anyone who has ever been to a 3rd world country will tell you that people not having a PC is the least of their worries. That being said, this assumption by Kaspersky is laughable.
"A particular cause for concern is programs which advocate 'cheap computers for poor third world countries'," Kaspersky writes. "These further encourage criminal activity on the internet. Statistics on the number of malicious programs originating from specific countries confirm this: the world leader in virus writing is China, followed by Latin America, with Russia and Eastern European countries not far behind."
I live in latin america. So what is Eugene saying?
Its better if none of us have a computer at home or office?
It sounds more like an exercise in scare mongering in Symantec style. Notice how is not offering a solution. He is just trying to plant seeds. Always keep in the back of your head he is a former KGB agent; intelligence services thrive by the art of spinning.
Im with you brother. But he didnt get anybody. We in latin america, still growing in number (people with best machines and better internet connection). And even so, there are still many of us who want to “create trust online” (sorry Comodo for using your line :azn:) and show that is not entirely true what he stated or states at this moment.
Wow, don’t give those poor sobs wooden pc’s, they will hack your bank accounts, pfff, stupid ignorants. Statements like this from rich companies and the fact that there will always be poor people to work for the rich people makes me even more against this discriminatory monetary system society that we all living in. With this monetary system (which had failed us btw, economical crysis anyone ?!) where we started to live with money borrowed from our future generations and where money are created from nothing (e.g you make a big deposit into an account and it makes you more money) and they surpassed the value of actual physical merchandises, it’s time to get rid of it.
That’s why everyday my support for the zeitgeist movement and their designed new way of life in a resource-based economy with no monetary system grows stronger.
The monetary system lives it’s final moments, the sooner we realize it and switch to something new, the better. But the rich don’t want to see this truth and they come up with STUPID STATEMENTS LIKE THIS. The sooner we switch, the better to avoid the mass riotting and the loss of human lifes and precious resources.