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They are talking about people in Laos, and the sponsored $10 subscription is considered to be a significant portion of their spending already. Why are you then

They are talking about people in Laos, and the sponsored $10 subscription is considered to be a significant portion of their spending already. Why are you then comparing to rich people in China where VPN is commodity?

867-5309 4y ago
>they could get by on free subscriptions
- yorwba 4y ago
  > all these kids had were Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok, everything else costs ~10$ I don't think any of those four products includes free VPN. You'd need to tunnel Wikipedia through WhatsApp instead, or something.
  - 867-5309 4y ago
    I don't think that's a representation of the full picture. a cheap android phone would undoubtedly also come with google preinstalled, thus cache/AMP access to Wikipedia I don't think a telecoms company or phone manufacturer could reliably restrict the ever changing landscape of internet access without affecting usability and social media consumption I don't think they are using customised iPhones where perhaps such limits may be imposed I don't think any determined Laotian kid would consider a free vpn an obstacle I don't think it's unreasonable to say where there's a will there's a way I don't think it's an impossible feat
    - yorwba 4y ago
      > a cheap android phone would undoubtedly also come with google preinstalled Plenty of Android phones don't come with Google preinstalled. > thus cache/AMP access to Wikipedia Even if you have Google on your phone, that doesn't mean you won't need a paid data plan to actually use it. > I don't think a telecoms company or phone manufacturer could reliably restrict the ever changing landscape of internet access without affecting usability and social media consumption But that's the point? If you want better usability, you're expected to pay for full internet access.
    - kmarc 4y ago
      I think you are trying to find a technical solution to a social problem. Eventually technical solutions will be needed, yes. Right now it's unreal to even think about VPNs and proxies and customized phones etc. It's not a technical obstacle for that Lao kid, it's a different universe, they never even heard of, nor their peers, parents, teachers, or anyone in their surroundings.

867-5309 4y ago

>they could get by on free subscriptions

yorwba 4y ago
> all these kids had were Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok, everything else costs ~10$ I don't think any of those four products includes free VPN. You'd need to tunnel Wikipedia through WhatsApp instead, or something.
- 867-5309 4y ago
  I don't think that's a representation of the full picture. a cheap android phone would undoubtedly also come with google preinstalled, thus cache/AMP access to Wikipedia I don't think a telecoms company or phone manufacturer could reliably restrict the ever changing landscape of internet access without affecting usability and social media consumption I don't think they are using customised iPhones where perhaps such limits may be imposed I don't think any determined Laotian kid would consider a free vpn an obstacle I don't think it's unreasonable to say where there's a will there's a way I don't think it's an impossible feat
  - yorwba 4y ago
    > a cheap android phone would undoubtedly also come with google preinstalled Plenty of Android phones don't come with Google preinstalled. > thus cache/AMP access to Wikipedia Even if you have Google on your phone, that doesn't mean you won't need a paid data plan to actually use it. > I don't think a telecoms company or phone manufacturer could reliably restrict the ever changing landscape of internet access without affecting usability and social media consumption But that's the point? If you want better usability, you're expected to pay for full internet access.
  - kmarc 4y ago
    I think you are trying to find a technical solution to a social problem. Eventually technical solutions will be needed, yes. Right now it's unreal to even think about VPNs and proxies and customized phones etc. It's not a technical obstacle for that Lao kid, it's a different universe, they never even heard of, nor their peers, parents, teachers, or anyone in their surroundings.