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They are actually creating better lives for some of the poor citizens of the world。〃
Four years after starting up； Digital Divide Data now has 170 employees in three
offices： Phnom Penh； Battambang； the second…largest city in Cambodia； and a new office
in Vientiane； Laos。 〃We recruited our first two managers in Phnom Penh and sent them
to India to get trained in data entry； and then； when we opened the Laos office； we
recruited two managers who were trained by our staff in the Phnom Penh office；〃
Hockenstein said。
This tree has scattered all kinds of seeds。 Besides the Harvard Crimson； one of the
biggest sources of data…entry work was NGOs； which wanted the results of their surveys
about health or families or labor conditions digitized。 So some of the first wave
of Digital Divide Data's Cambodian workers left the company and spun off their own
firm to design databases for NGOs that want to do surveys！ Why？ Because while they
were working for Digital Divide Data； said Hockenstein； they kept getting survey work
from NGOs that needed to be digitized； but because the NGOs had not done enough work
in advance to standardize all the data they were collecting； it was very hard to
digitize in any efficient manner。 So these Cambodian workers realized that there was
value earlier in the supply chain and that they could get paid more for it…not for
typing but for designing standardized formats for NGOs to collect survey
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data； which would make the surveys easier and cheaper to digitize； collate； and
manipulate。 So they started their own company to do just that…out of Cambodia。
Hockenstein argued that none of the jobs being done in Cambodia came from the United
States。 This sort of basic data…entry work got outsourced to India and the Caribbean
a long time ago； and； if anywhere； that is where the jobs were taken from。 But none
of this would have been possible to set up in Cambodia a decade ago。 It all came
together in just the last few years。
〃My partner is a Cambodian；〃 said Hockenstein。 〃His name is Sophary； and until 1992
he was living in a refugee camp on the Cambodia…Thai border while I was living in
Harvard Square as an un…dergrad。 We were worlds apart。 After the UN peace treaty ＇in
Cambodia＇； he walked home ten days to his village； and now today he lives in Phnom
Penh running Digital Divide Data's office。〃 They now instant…message each other each
night to collaborate in the delivery of services to people and companies around the
world。 The type of collaboration that is possible today 〃allows us to be partners
and equals；〃 said Hockenstein。 〃It is not one of us dominating the other； it is real
collaboration that is creating better futures for the people at the bottom and the
top。 It is making my life more meaningful and creating concrete opportunities for
people living on a dollar or two a day 。 。 。 We see the self…respect and confidence
that blossoms in people who never before would have had an on…ramp into the global
economy。〃
So Hockenstein and his partners are getting calls now from Mongolia； Pakistan； Iran；
and Jordan from people who want to provide IT services to the world and are wondering
how they can get started。 In mid…2004； a client approached Digital Divide Data to
digitize an English…Arabic dictionary。 Around the same time； Hockenstein's office
received an unsolicited e…mail from a company in Iran that was running a data…entry
firm there。 〃They found us through a Google search in trying to find ways of expanding
their local data…entry business beyond the borders of Iran；〃 said Hockenstein。 So
Hockenstein asked the Iranians whether they could do an English…Arabic dictionary；
even though the language of Iran is Farsi； which uses some but not all of the same
letters as Arabic。 〃He said
they could；〃 said Hockenstein； 〃so we partnered on a joint project for this client
to digitize an Arabic dictionary。〃 What I like most about the story； and why it is
so telling of the flat world； is Hockenstein's kicker： 〃I still have never met the
guy ＇in Iran＇。 We did the whole deal over Yahoo！ instant messenger and e…mail。 We
wired him the money through Cambodia 。。。 I invited him to my wedding； but he wasn't
able to come。〃
：：：：：Geopolitics and the Flat World
：：：：： ELEVEN
The Vnflat World
No Guns or Cell Phones Allowed
To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years。 To destroy can be the
thoughtless act of a single day。 …Sir Winston Churchill
On a trip back home to Minnesota in the winter of 2004； I was having lunch with my
friends Ken and Jill Greer at Perkins pancake house when Jill mentioned that the state
had recently passed a new gun law。 The conceal and carry law； passed on May 28； 2003；
established that local sheriffs had to issue permits for anyone…other than those with
felony records or declared mentally ill…who requested to carry concealed firearms
to work （unless the person's employer explicitly restricted that right）。 This law
is supposed to deter criminals； because if they try to hold you up； they can't be
sure that you too are not packing a weapon。 The law； though； contained a provision
to allow business owners to prevent nonemployees from bringing concealed weapons into
a place of business； like a restaurant or health club。 It said that any business could
ban concealed handguns on its premises if it posted a sign at each entrance indicating
that guns were not allowed there。 （This reportedly led to some very creative signage；
with one church suingthe state for the right to use a biblical quote as its gun…banning
sign and a restaurant using a picture of a woman in a cooking apron toting a machine
gun。） The reason this all came up at our lunch was that Jill mentioned that at health
clubs around the city； where she
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played tennis； she noticed two signs now popping up regularly； one right after the
other。 At their tennis club in Bloomington； for example； there is a sign right by
the front door that says； 〃NoGuns Allowed。〃 And then nearby； outside the locker rooms；
is another sign： 〃No Cell Phones Allowed。〃
Hmrara。 No guns or cell phones allowed？ Guns I understand； I said； but why cell phones？
Silly me。 It was because some people were bringing cell phones with cameras intolocker
rooms； covertly taking pictures of naked men and women and then e…mailing them around
the world。 What will they think of next？ Whatever the innovation； people will find
a way to use it and abuse it。
While interviewing Promod Haque at Norwest Venture Partners in Palo Alto； I was helped
by the firm's public relations director； Katie Belding； who later sent me this e…mail：
〃I was chatting with my husband about your meeting with Promod the other day。。。 He
is a history teacher at a high school in San Mateo。 I asked him； 'Where were you when
the world went flat？' He said it just happened the other day at school when he was
in a faculty meeting。 A student was suspended for helping another student cheat on
a test…we're not talking the traditional writing answers on the bottom of your shoe
or passing a note； though 。 。 。〃 Intrigued； I called her husband； Brian； and he picked
up the story： 〃At the end of the period； when all of the tests were being passed up
to the front of the classroom； this student very quickly and slyly pulled out his
cell phone and somehow snapped a picture of some test questions； and instantly
e…mailed it to his friend who was taking the same test the next period。 His friend
also had a cell phone with a digital camera and e…mail capabilities and was apparently
able to view the questions before the next period。 The student was caught by another
teacher when he pulled out the cell phone between periods。 It is against the rules
to have a cell phone on campus…even though we know that all the kids do…so the teacher
confiscated it and saw that the kid had a test on it。 So the dean of discipline； at
our regular faculty meeting； opened by saying； 'We have something new to worry about。'
Essentially he said； 'Beware； keep your
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eyes open； because the kids are so far ahead of us in terms of the technology。'〃
But things aren't all bad with this new technology； noted Brian： 〃I went to a Jimmy
Buffett concert earlier this year。 Cameras were not allowed； but cell phones were。
So then the concert starts and everyone suddenly starts holding up their cell phones
and taking pictures of Jimmy Buffett。 I've got one right on my wall。 We were sitting
in the second row and the guy next to us held up his cell phone； and I said； 'Hey；
would you mind e…mailing me some of those？ No one will believe we sat this close。'
He said 'Sure；' and we gave him a card with our e…mail ＇address＇。 We didn't really
expect to see any； but the next day he e…mailed us a bunch。〃
My trip to Beijing described earlier fell right after the fifteenth anniversary of
the Tiananmen Square massacre； which happened on June 4； 1989； that is； 6/4/89。 My
colleagues at the Times bureau informed me that on that day the Chinese government
censors were blocking SMS messages on cell phones that contained any reference to
Tiananmen Square or e