People from across the globe are communicating online to fight censorship, scrutinize government, and exchange information and strategies on an endless array of subjects. However, the GII's inevitable impact on social, political, and economic life presents risks as well as opportunities. Although the extraordinary potential for a GII has been suggested by existing online communications networks, the present online community is still quite limited. Only countries with a sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure are able to take advantage of online technology. Even in countries with advanced telecommunications infrastructures, only persons with access to equipment and training can take advantage of new information resources.
General illiteracy remains the primary obstacle to computer literacy.
And while the GII may foster an unprecedented sharing of cultural traditions, current users of online technology are primarily American, affluent, white, and male. Finally, some governments have inhibited online expression through limitations on the use of encryption technology, restrictive access practices, and content liability laws. Just as authoritarian governments control other forms of media, governments may restrict access to the GII out of fear that citizens will use it to undermine government authority. In India, exorbitant licensing fees operate to exclude many people from online services, and an archaic telegraph law requires online carriers to ensure that no obscene or objectionable messages are carried on their networks. Even the United States has continued to impose restrictions on the free flow of technologies designed to provide users with greater privacy and to foster freedom of communication.