More than 60 heads of state or government are expected to attend the grandly titled World Summit on the Information Society, which starts today in Geneva. The aim of the meeting is to endorse an agreement on narrowing what's called the 'digital divide' between rich and poor nations.

What is this digital divide? The word describes the gap in technological infrastructure between rich nations and poor. Less than 20 per cent of people worldwide have their own telephone line, while 60 percent of all Internet connections are used by just ten percent of the world's population.

While most nations endorse the aims of the meeting - helping underdeveloped nations gain access to information technology infrastructure, the sticking point is over financing.

Poorer nations are asking for the establishment of a special fund. The donor nations say that existing development aid already covers technology infrastructure.

The other problem - and a big one - issues from the very concept of what the 'information society' means. On any interpretation an information society means that citizens have access to information and freedom of expression.

Many of the developing countries at the meeting cannot claim to allow freedom of the press and the freedom of their citizens to criticise government - concepts enshrined in the document they are being asked to endorse at the meeting? Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Benin, Senegal, Ghana, Cuba, Myanmar, Libya, and Tunisia are among the chronic violators of human rights and freedom of expression that will be speaking lofty words at the meeting.

In fact Tunisia will be the venue for the second stage of the meeting, to be held in Tunis in 2005, a decision that must cause human rights groups to shake their collective heads in astonishment.

Here is what Amnesty International had to say in its most recent report on human rights in Tunisia: "A continued clampdown on political opposition remained in force throughout Tunisia where hundreds of political prisoners, for the most part prisoners of conscience, remained in prison.

"Repression of human rights defenders continued and the authorities clamped down further on the Internet and information and communication technologies.

"Torture and ill treatment were reported in prisons, police stations and state security buildings."

Information society? No. So instead of thinking that more money and technology will help solve the digital divide, let us first get to the basics: freedom of information and expression. Period. Am I cynical? Yes.

In terms of assessing the digital divide, another report released this week highlights the problems in judging technological development apart from the concept of freedom of expression.

For example, out of 82 countries analysed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for "networked readiness" - how prepared an economy is to capture the benefits of technology - Singapore was placed third behind Finland and the US.

While that may be true (network readiness refers mainly to access to technology, not its use), Singapore's government has a much less stellar rating in terms of allowing citizens to use that infrastructure.

"Government controls imposed on the press and civil society organisations curbed freedom of expression and were an obstacle to the independent monitoring of human rights," Amnesty said about Singapore. "A range of restrictive legislation remained in place, undermining the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

All assemblies of five or more people require a police permit. Such permits are rarely granted to those wishing to express dissenting political opinions."

For the record Switzerland placed 13 in the WEF rankings, Hong Kong 18th, Ireland 21st, Luxembourg 27th, Costa Rica 49th, Mauritius 56th and Panama 61st.

Other offshore financial centres such as Bermuda were not assessed in the study. "Ranking other countries remains a challenge for the future," the WEF said on December 9.

The World Economic Forum report can be downloaded on the Internet at www.weforum.org. Internet broadcasts of the Summit on the Information Society are available at www.itu.int/wsis.

Contact Ahmed at editor@offshoreon.com