[OLPC Security] Grey Markets: differentiation of legitimately purchased laptops

[Mike C. Fletcher]

Kent Borg wrote:
> I am confused about the life cycle of a given laptop.
>
> Legitimate Child gets a laptop.  A year later, because Legitimate Child
> has been somewhat careful with the unit, it still works.  Several years
> later, the laptop is still working.  What happens to it?  What happens
> when Legitimate Child becomes an adult?  Does s/he get to keep it?  Does
> it then look like a gray market unit?
>   
By that time (5-6 years), the laptops have long since ceased to be 
particularly valuable, both because of reductions in price (we are 
looking at reductions to $50 well within that time-frame), introduction 
of the technologies we are pioneering into general laptops, and 
widespread legitimate availability.  In other words, our theft and fraud 
deterrent activities are front-loaded, focusing on the period when the 
laptops are attractive enough to serve as a significant cash incentive 
because of the number of (relatively wealthy) people who would like one 
simply because the advanced technology that makes them possible hasn't 
been incorporated into regular laptops yet.  Similarly, we need to deter 
misappropriation by adults in the country, but only during the period 
when acquiring the technology elsewhere is difficult.

In other words, over time, there will be students growing up, and many 
of them will have their educational laptops if they have looked after 
them (that continued ownership is an explicit goal of the project[1]).  
That will be expected in 5-6 years.  It's the adults wandering around 
with them in the first 2-3 years or so who are the biggest concern.

It is to be hoped that by the time we start thinking about a "generation 
2", we will simply be able to order off-the-shelf units from a half 
dozen manufacturers (or, at least, just spec out the machines).  That 
is, anyone should be able to pick up a $50 laptop with 20 hour battery 
life and mechanical charger, and the XO-2 will just be a particular set 
of laptops intended for use by schools, with the education-focussed 
software and content pre-loaded.  Countries should be able to order any 
of dozens of models and have the educational/collaborative packages 
loaded on them.  At that point we'll need to see how to defend those 
models, but that's out-of-scope for today.

In that environment, having an (old) Educational-XO is no concern, 
millions of adults will have them, and the technology will be outdated, 
easily surpassed by anything on offer.  The process of commercial 
development trailing along has already begun, by the way, so it's to be 
hoped that we will drop out of "poaching value" range pretty quickly.  
Manufacturers have woken up to the idea of inexpensive machines that 
have long battery life and the like.

Hope that addresses the concern,
Mike

[1] See other thread on grey markets and migrant populations for 
discussion on the need to make it explicit *when* the laptop can be 
retained (i.e. do you have to graduate to keep it, do you have to 
complete a full year, or do you just have to complete a full week).

-- 
________________________________________________
  Mike C. Fletcher
  Designer, VR Plumber, Coder
  http://www.vrplumber.com
  http://blog.vrplumber.com