Previous studies generally assume that barriers to internet access are largely passive. That is, exclusion from the Internet is a consequence of poorly resourced individuals, communities, and institutions. This study complicates that assumption by focusing on the active policing and gatekeeping of internet access. Specifically, we estimate the causal effect of free Wi-Fi at chain restaurants on quality-of-life crime reporting by leveraging a staggered difference-in-differences design which compares geo-located crime reports near chain restaurants in Chicago before and after those restaurants introduced free Wi-Fi. We find that free Wi-Fi led to a substantive and significant increase in quality-of-life policing when restaurants were located in wealthier and Whiter areas, but not in other areas. Our findings suggest that internet access itself may be actively policed by social institutions, in our case, national chain restaurants and the police, to protect access for some at the expense of others.

中文翻译：

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监管数字鸿沟：机构把关和将数字包容定为犯罪

以前的研究通常假设互联网访问的障碍在很大程度上是被动的。也就是说，被排除在互联网之外是资源匮乏的个人、社区和机构的结果。这项研究通过关注互联网访问的积极监管和把关，使这一假设复杂化。具体来说，我们通过利用交错的差异设计来估计连锁餐厅的免费 Wi-Fi 对生活质量犯罪报告的因果影响，该设计比较芝加哥连锁餐厅前后的地理位置犯罪报告。推出免费Wi-Fi。我们发现，当餐馆位于较富裕和较白的地区时，免费 Wi-Fi 导致生活质量警务的实质性和显着提高，但在其他地区则不然。