ASPEN, COLORADO - The Eighth Edition of The Progress & Freedom Foundation's "Digital Economy Fact Book" was released here today at PFF's annual Aspen Summit, and is available on the PFF web site. The resource guide features a new section this year on threats to the digital economy, offering statistics on such subjects as piracy, spyware, viruses and identity theft. The reference book was co-written by Thomas M. Lenard, PFF Senior Fellow and Senior Vice President for Research, and Research Associate Daniel B. Britton. Joseph Adamson, Eileen Goulding, Stephen Lareau and Marie Ryan also provided extensive research assistance for the publication.

"The new Fact Book shows that, while the digital revolution originated in the U.S., it is revolutionizing the way business is conducted throughout the world," explains co-author Lenard. "More than three-quarters of Internet users are now outside North America, and much of the growth in IT-sector employment is expected to be in Asian countries such as China and India."

"The Fact Book has turned into something of a kinetoscope for the digital economy," writes outgoing PFF President Ray Gifford in the foreword of the book. "In today's parlance, there was high latency and low bandwidth. So it is also with this volume - the sheer mass of information and breadth of the digital economy make the supreme challenge here one of editing. Likewise, during the time between these annual volumes, big changes occur and innumerable events happen that we can barely touch on. All the same, the DEFB represents a valuable overview of what has gone on in the digital arena."

This year’s edition of the popular publication includes data and statistics from 2005 to 2006. In addition to an overview of the digital economy, the invaluable resource book also contains chapters on e-commerce, the communications industry, the hardware sector, digital media, the global use of the Internet and the new chapter outlining threats to the digital economy.

The Eighth Edition of the "Digital Economy Fact Book" is available online at the PFF web site, as are the six most recent editions.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.