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Isaac King's avatar

But what's the explanation for that? Why did people find out about the loophole in 2019?

And I'm not sure what part of the Trump section you're referring to, I don't see any mention of the spike.

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Maxim Lott's avatar

My guess is it's mostly about smartphones going global. The fact that Europe is experiencing a similar phenomenon hints at there being a broader cause.

Some people say advocacy NGOs are also spreading the word on how to get in using the "loophole", but I haven't looked into that.

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Isaac King's avatar

Smartphones were already pretty much ubiquitous several years earlier, weren't they?

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Maxim Lott's avatar

I think they took longer to get critical mass in the developing world.

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Isaac King's avatar

Why would that lead to a single sudden spike rather than a gradual increase in line with the number of people who have phones?

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