The Cost to Peer Into Sarah Palin's Inbox
Sandra Winn — October 20, 2008 — Pop Culture
References: msnbc.msn
If you're news media or simply a curious Sarah Palin fan, it would cost you into the millions to catch a glimpse of the governor's digital post. Sarah Palin’s office is charging as high as $15 million for duplicate copies of email sent from Palin’s office. Such overwhelming charges are the same for the general public and news organizations alike.
Are you as curious as I am as to how Palin’s office came up with such a skyrocketed figure? MSNBC breaks it down:
When the Associated Press asked for all state e-mails sent to the governor’s husband, Todd Palin, her office said it would take up to six hours of a programmer’s time to assemble the e-mail of just a single state employee, then another two hours for “security” checks, and finally five hours to search the e-mail for whatever word or topic the requestor is seeking. At $73.87 an hour, that’s $960.31 for a single e-mail account. And there are 16,000 full-time state employees. The cost quoted to the AP: $15,364,960
Whew, with a $15 million price tag on Sarah Palin’s emails, you’d think they were adorned with Swarovski crystals or something.
Even if you can afford the luxury of buying Sarah Palin’s multi-million dollar emails, including those from her Yahoo! account, none will be available until after the election on November 4.
Are you as curious as I am as to how Palin’s office came up with such a skyrocketed figure? MSNBC breaks it down:
When the Associated Press asked for all state e-mails sent to the governor’s husband, Todd Palin, her office said it would take up to six hours of a programmer’s time to assemble the e-mail of just a single state employee, then another two hours for “security” checks, and finally five hours to search the e-mail for whatever word or topic the requestor is seeking. At $73.87 an hour, that’s $960.31 for a single e-mail account. And there are 16,000 full-time state employees. The cost quoted to the AP: $15,364,960
Whew, with a $15 million price tag on Sarah Palin’s emails, you’d think they were adorned with Swarovski crystals or something.
Even if you can afford the luxury of buying Sarah Palin’s multi-million dollar emails, including those from her Yahoo! account, none will be available until after the election on November 4.
Trend Themes
1. $15 Million Emails - The exorbitant cost of obtaining Sarah Palin's emails presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in data retrieval and information transparency.
2. Digital Post Charges - The high fees associated with accessing public officials' emails highlight the need for disruptive innovation in government transparency and accountability.
3. Security Checks - The extensive time and expense required for security checks on emails demonstrate a potential for disruptive innovation in efficient and cost-effective data security solutions.
Industry Implications
1. News Media - The access fees for Sarah Palin's emails create an opportunity for disruptive innovation in media business models and investigative journalism techniques.
2. Data Management - The challenges posed by the large volume of emails in Sarah Palin's case present an opportunity for disruptive innovation in data management and search technologies.
3. Government Transparency - The high costs associated with accessing government emails indicate a need for disruptive innovation in government transparency initiatives and technology solutions.
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