Toxic Scavenging in the Digital Divide

The current digital age is defined by increasingly revolutionary developments in artificial intelligence, social networks, rapid communications, and advanced computing that have permeated all regions of the world. This revolution is enabled by a wide range of consumer electronic products, which have long been considered effective forms of humanitarian aid because of their function in education and their potential to bridge the digital divide between heavily industrialized countries and countries with economies in transition. However, electronics are sophisticated products manufactured with a variety of toxic materials. Here, we disentangle the intersection of humanitarian aid and the rapidly emerging global health problems associated with the international movement of electronic waste. Our goal for this chapter is to examine the question of “who gives to whom” through an assessment of the circularity of material resources for manufacturing new electronic products and the management of e-waste in the context of international humanitarian transactions.