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

[Steve Fullerton]

Another G1G1 angle:

The G1G1 campaign model works for funneling XOs to OLPC developing nation
partners and is extended indefinitely:

There is nothing stopping wealthy individuals(or organizations) from
purchasing G1G1 units, donating one to the developing world and donating the
other to a US individual or institution(with 2 tax deductions).

It would also be very cool if a wealthy US kid getting a G1G1 machine knew
something about where the other one went.  This is the model used for "adopt
a poor child in the third world" charity drives.  Think about the US kid
being able to communicate with his counterpart in the developing world over
the internet --- e.g. OLPC PenPal and maybe an OLPC facebook.

On 10/19/07, Walter Bender <walter.bender at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Please don't confuse the Give 1 Get 1 campaign--whose primary purpose
> is to raise money for distributing laptops to children in need--with
> our efforts to reach children in the US (outside of 128). We are
> addressing that need through the same mechanisms we are using
> elsewhere: through school systems, NGOs, etc. What we are not doing is
> selling laptops retail.
>
> -walter
>
> On 10/19/07, Albert Cahalan <acahalan at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Mike C. Fletcher writes:
> >
> > > Official word from 1CC is that this change is not going to be
> > > possible in the short-term.  We cannot implement these changes
> > > for the first run this late in the process.  Which means the
> > > first run of G1G1 laptops are likely going to have regular
> > > colouration.  We will have to rely on other processes to
> > > reduce/mitigate black-market operations.
> >
> > Good. The desire for a fully standard XO would have made
> > the greymarket problem worse, not better.
> >
> > There is exactly one way to destroy the grey market:
> > wash it away with a flood of cheap fully-legit laptops.
> >
> > People at OLPC seem to forget that Cambridge and the Route 128
> > high-tech area in Massachusetts is not representative of the USA.
> > Simply put, $400 per kid is way too much for a person who is
> > struggling to pay the rent. There are a lot of people like that.
> > We have coal miners, truck stop waitresses, fry cooks, and so on.
> > The kids have one primary way to get moving in life: the military.
> > It seems like nobody cares about these kids.
> >
> > Heck, $400 per kid is too much for **me**, and I'm a well-paid hacker.
> > I'm just not going to risk having a kid lose or destroy a $400 object.
> > (laptop or otherwise)
> >
> > I think you'll find that cutting the price in half would more
> > than double the amount of sales, causing many more kids to get
> > laptops than they would otherwise. If OLPC is truly interested
> > in providing kids with laptops, then this is the obvious choice.
> > Even that is still too expensive for many; the original goal of
> > a $100 laptop would make a huge difference for kids everywhere.
> > If volume production is the key to getting that price down,
> > then G1G1 is exactly the wrong approach to make it happen.
> >
> > BTW, school servers are needed too.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Security mailing list
> > Security at lists.laptop.org
> > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/security
> >
>
>
> --
> Walter Bender
> One Laptop per Child
> http://laptop.org
> _______________________________________________
> Security mailing list
> Security at lists.laptop.org
> http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/security
>



-- 
Regards,

Steve
____________________________
Steven C. Fullerton
email: fullerton.steve at gmail.com
cell/voice mail: 619.339.9116
____________________________
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