This document proposes a "People-Centered Internet" approach for future connectivity and ICT projects. It argues that focusing solely on technology implementation is insufficient, and that projects should track and improve human outcomes. Specifically, it recommends: 1. Collecting data and using closed-loop feedback to simultaneously benefit people and evaluate project effectiveness. 2. Applying techniques used by companies like Google and Amazon to optimize outcomes in other domains like healthcare, education, and supporting underserved populations globally. 3. Developing principles like universal access, affordability, privacy, and individual control to ensure data collection is accountable and beneficial.

1. 1
PROPOSING
A
PEOPLE-­‐CENTERED
INTERNET
APPROACH
FOR
FUTURE
PROJECTS
IN
CONNECTIVITY,
ICT
AND
BEYOND
Introduction
1. Globalization,
the
changing
economy,
and
the
Internet
itself
are
factors
in
an
emerging
low-­‐employment
economy.
Over
1
billion
young
people
will
be
seeking
jobs
in
the
next
decade,
and
only
40%
will
find
jobs
that
exist
today.
2. Increasing
the
reach
of
the
Internet,
extending
connectivity
requires
complementary
digital
apprenticeships.
3. A
People-­‐Centered
Internet
approach
shifts
emphasis
in
Internet
projects
from
technology
implementation,
toward
creating
and
tracking
desired
outcomes
for
people
and
in
building
community
capacity.
4. We
propose
building
the
data
collection,
closed
feedback
loops
and
analytic
techniques
into
all
new
Internet
and
connectivity
programs
to
simultaneously
enrich
the
lives
of
those
we
connect
and
use
the
evidence
to
continuously
improve
the
effectiveness
of
those
programs.
5. We
propose
an
approach
to
building
and
delivering
the
values
of
a
People
Centered
Internet.
The
difference
the
People
Centered
Internet
can
make
in
outcomes
You
are
familiar
with
the
problems
of
a
jobless
youth,
millions
without
education,
employment
or
training.
You
know
that
company
formation
is
stagnant.
You
know
the
risks
attendant
with
these
issues.
You
know
how
the
Internet
has
the
potential
to
ease
these.
“The
Internet
has
already
become
the
most
important
infrastructure
of
the
world.
And
that's
just
the
beginning.
Soon
it
will
also
be
the
infrastructure
of
all
of
our
other
infrastructures… Within
half
a
decade
it's
likely
that
90
percent
of
the
population
of
the
world
will
be
covered
by
wireless
networks
with
higher
capacity
than
we
have
in
most
of
the
U.S.
and
Europe
today.
And
it
is
highly
likely
that
90
percent
of
young
people
all
over
the
world
will
have
a
smart
device
to
connect
into
all
the
global
networks.”1
The
People
Centered
Internet
would
shift
emphasis
away
from
pure
technology
implementation
toward
assuring
and
measuring
project
success
in
terms
of
the
human
outcomes
that
are
achieved
with
each
project.
With
the
Internet
we
learn
to
systematically
apply
evidence-­‐based
approaches
to
a
broader
spectrum
of
human
outcomes
using
closed
feedback
loop
modeling
and
implementation.
Such
techniques
now
are
commonplace
in
optimizing
ad
revenues
and
engagement
outcomes
in
1
Carl
Bildt
former
Swedish
Prime
Minister
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-­‐bildt/who-­‐govern-­‐internet_b_7922948.html

2. 2
wealthy
societies.
We
propose
to
build
on
these
approaches
to
engage
and
enrich
the
lives
of
billions
more.
Real-­‐time
quantitative
data
analysis
of
social
behaviors
is
at
the
heart
of
such
services
as
Google
Maps,
Amazon,
Netflix,
and
insurance,
mortgages,
and
credit
card
offerings.
Let
us
use
the
same
Internet-­‐centered
data
reporting
and
analysis
techniques,
like
Bayesian
analysis
to
enrich
work
to
support
underserved
US
populations,
and
the
global
next
billions.
The
focus
shifts
from
ad
click-­‐throughs,
toward
understanding
access
to
shelter,
food,
water,
physical
safety,
access
to
health
care
and
education
–
and
the
effectiveness
of
the
projects
intended
to
deliver
these.
Two
examples
of
domains
in
which
this
would
work
to
create
radically
improved
outcomes
are
healthcare
and
education.
The
principles
of
the
People
Centered
Internet
The
People
Centered
Internet
is
creating
those
principles
that
are
essential
to
enable
this
new
level
of
data
collection
and
analysis,
which
must
be
accountable
to
the
people,
transparent
and
working
unambiguously
to
the
benefit
of
the
people.
Our
principles:
• Complete
universal
Internet
coverage
that
enables
functionality
that
is
otherwise
unreachable
or
ineffective.
• The
Internet
is
affordable,
open,
available
and
accessible
to
all.
• Fosters
digital
literacy,
local
content
in
local
language
to
achieve
widespread
usage
and
increased
value
to
people,
families,
communities
and
countries.
• The
system
achieves
a
level
of
trust
that
meets
the
users’
expectations
of
affordability,
privacy,
safety
• The
quantity
and
quality
of
educational
and
information
services
is
increasingly
available
to
families
and
communities.
• Anyone
can
contribute
to
improvement
of
the
utility
of
the
global
Internet.
• Personal
information
in
the
digital
environment
is
protected
by
law
and
controlled
by
the
individual.
Developing
the
People
Centered
Internet:
Lessons
from
CRM
Our
proposal
draws
directly
from
recent
work
in
the
IT
industry.
Customer
Relationship
Management
(CRM)
software
transformed
sales
and
marketing;
today
it's
a
$27B
industry.
At
first,
CRM
tracked
existing
activities
within
companies,
focusing
on
efficiency
and
productivity.
However,
customers
saw
that
service
suffered,
putting
revenue
at
risk.
The
next
phase
of
CRM
was
the
response
relevant
to
the
People
Centered
Internet:
CRM
evolved
to
look
“outside”
the
company,
using
the
Internet
and
social
media
to
track
what
was
happening
with
customers
and
markets,
and
big-­‐data
analytic
tools
to
project
outcomes.
“Customer
centric”
CRM
now
aims
to
track
customers
holistically,
focusing
on
drivers
for

3. 3
engagement,
satisfaction
and
future
revenue.
Done
well,
this
enables
identification
of
leading
indicators
in
time
for
users
to
take
steps
to
grow
their
businesses.
Many
firms
add
to
their
direct
data
about
customers
leading
indicators
found
on
the
Internet
–
social
media
gives
early
notice
of
new
trends
and
alerts
users
to
take
fast,
corrective
action.
Internally,
real
time
tracking
and
feedback
systems
allow
agile
organizations
to
monitor
their
objectives
and
make
adjustments
quickly.
The
success
of
new-­‐generation
CRM
also
requires
cultural
adaptation:
the
best
outcomes
occur
only
when
the
social
and
business
processes
are
in
place,
with
recognition
for
people.
Partnerships
for
the
People
Centered
Internet
Our
goal
in
the
People
Centered
Internet
is
to
move
this
approach
forward
as
a
philosophy
–
and
invite
partners
in
many
sectors
to
join
for
their
own
enlightened
best
interest.
• Government
–
the
US
White
House
and
State
Department
can
lead
with
political
support,
and
adopt
as
it
can
the
principles
of
the
People-­‐Centered
Internet
to
increase
digital
literacy,
grow
digital
enterprise
and
accelerate
improvement
in
social
outcomes
• Governments
–
regional
and
national
–
for
the
areas
to
be
supported:
be
they
impoverished
communities
in
the
USA,
or
refugee
camps
,
or
an
emerging
economy,
the
principles
and
tools
must
be
appropriate
and
supported.
Indeed,
the
tools
must
have
flexibility
that
enables
each
person
to
better
do
their
own
jobs,
to
be
empowered
rather
than
marginalized.
• Technology
firms
–in
parallel
to
engaging
political
support,
can
form
consortia
for
outcomes
tracking
and
advocacy
for
effective
digital
policy
making
and
to
develop
and
support
the
tools
for
digital
transformation
in
cities,
towns,
villages.
• NGOs
–
field
workers
and
analysts
of
key
NGOs
by
participating,
will
see
that
the
closed
loop
feedback
of
the
People
Centered
Internet
can
amplify
their
work
by
helping
enable
improved
outcomes,
focusing
funding
growth
towards
proven
successful
approaches.
• Multinational
finance
–we
will
partner
with
the
World
Bank
and
large
donor
agencies
to
leverage
the
data
tools
and
People-­‐Centric
approaches
to
provide
evidence-­‐based
refinement
of
lending
in
order
to
offer
greater
economic
opportunity
for
the
most
vulnerable
and
neglected.
Each
of
these
classes
of
organization
has
much
to
bring
in
capability,
and
key
voices
to
be
heard.