Web index: Weighing up the web’s global impact

[Evil Eye]

The first attempt to rank countries by how much benefit their citizens get from the web has been unveiled. But what does it really mean for a country to come top or bottom of the web index?



Sweden is the best country in the world at making the web work for its citizens, whilst Yemen and Zimbabwe are the least effective, according to a new global survey backed by the inventor of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee.



The web index, as it is known, claims to be the “most comprehensive effort yet” to measure the impact of the web around the world and how it is changing people’s lives.



It ranks countries by how much benefit their citizens derive from the web and how it has transformed areas such as politics, economics and society. It also assesses any barriers a country has to allowing its citizens to access a free and open web, finding that around 30% of countries face some sort of government restriction.



The survey also revealed that just one in three people use the web globally, a number that drops to fewer than one in six in Africa.



Sir Tim is the public face of the new index, but it was economist Hania Farhan who was tasked with building it.



BBC Future caught up with her to find out how it was done and what it all means.

Full article: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120905-weighing-up-the-webs-impact/

The actual index: http://thewebindex.org/



I actually guessed Sweden would be on top when I saw the link