Kinyomtatjuk az internetet

What one sentence best describes your idea?

Distribute information on the Internet in a print form to make it available to as many people worldwide as possible.

Describe your idea in more depth.

The idea behind iPoP is to distribute the information on the Internet in a physical, tangible form, making it available to those without access - currently more than 5 billion people worldwide. No trees are killed in iPoP: we only use recycled paper.

Web pages are printed out by a network of volunteers whose work is coordinated on a wiki site dedicated to the purpose. At the back end, a high-end logistics system sorts printing and transportation tasks based on cultural relevance and physical proximity.

Example: The strength of the network

A volunteer in Paris, France decides to contribute to the project. She prints out 100 pages of Wikipedia. The logistics system takes notice and routes the printed pages to the nearest French-speaking region without Internet access, say Aoulef ech Cheurfa, a small village in Algeria, Africa.

The package is then picked up and delivered by either another volunteer traveling to that region or an organization (the UN, Unicef, the Red Cross or other charity service) with pre-established ties and transport routes to Algeria. Commercial transportation companies and delivery services may also contribute to the success of iPoP.

Note: many of those living in Third World countries are illiterate, but this does not mean they can not benefit from iPoP - they can receive information in the form of print images, illustrations, how-to manuals and maps (see attached video).

Coupled with a streamlined distribution system and a dedicated network of volunteers, the iPoP project has the potential to deliver information to the most remote parts of the world, spreading the values of the free market and democracy.

What problem or issue does your idea address?

During the past few decades, the Internet became an indispensable medium whose influence is comparable only to that of the printing press. There are however billions of people in the world now who have no access to the Internet due to the lack of financial resources, infrastructure, hardware equipment, electricity, or even the most basic computing skills. Attempts at delivering the wealth of information available on the Net to these people via eletronic means are often prone to failure. Recent statistics show that only one fourth of the world's population use the Internet , which means that more than five billion live completely off the grid.

Another issue iPoP addresses is censorship - iPoP is immune to electronic censorship attempts such as the Great Firewall of China.

If your idea were to become a reality, who would benefit the most and how?

Five billion, currently disempowered people in the most underdeveloped regions of the world, most notably Africa (only 5.3% internet penetration), Asia (15 %) the Middle East (21.3 %) and Latin America (24.1 %).

What are the initial steps required to get this idea off the ground?

- Design and implement back-end software handling task management, document sorting and routing
- Set up dedicated wiki site
- Recruit staff
- Involve volunteers
- Contact interested parties (charity organizations, educational institutes, transportation companies, corporate sponsors)

Describe the optimal outcome should your idea be selected and successfully implemented. How would you measure it?

The inhabitants of a small village in Africa, Asia or Latin America learn about prime numbers, space exploration efforts or Perez Hilton. iPoP can prove that living without Internet access does not necessarily mean being uninformed. They experience empowerment and benefit from the information they receive. Success in this context means access to information - that is the success of those on the receiving end.

But iPoP is also about the success of the givers: the network of volunteers who make the world a better place by feeding their fellow humans with knowledge. Help can arrive in the form of even the smallest contribution - printing out a few pages may be a small step for one individual, but those pages combined are a giant leap for mankind.