Latin America Logs On

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The most impressive social changes may still be coming down the pike. In 1999 Mexico began installing a national crime databank in police stations. For the first time law-enforcement officers can access a reservoir of data from other Mexican states, which is vital in combatting crime. The federal government has also launched Compranet, a site through which companies will be able to place bids for government contracts online. The transparency of the system is meant to counter the rampant cronyism and corruption that often mar bidding and almost guarantee poor work for high prices on government projects.

But the biggest changes can be the most subtle. In the Science Museum, near Sao Paulo's municipal market, street kids who used to drop by to use bathrooms or get a drink of water became intrigued at seeing groups of schoolchildren gathered at the museum's Internet-connected computers. They wanted to try, but they didn't know how to read or write, or how to share or wait their turn. To remedy this, two social workers began Project Clicar, daily classes leavened by Web surfing and e-mailing. Suddenly, lives changed. "We have kids here who have no formal education but can sit down with you and discuss the era of silent film," says social worker Maria Cecilia Toloza. Just imagine the magic that the Web will work in the future.