Facebook Free Basic program offers reason for new dispute as some consider it a new way for the company to take control over the Internet.
Facebook Free Basic program offers reason for new dispute as some consider it a new way for the company to take control over the Internet. The program, developed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, would entail the free access to a number of predetermined apps and programs to people living in poor or marginalized areas.
The “Free Basic” program would be carried out by the use of toll-free data, or sponsored data. This would mean that internet search providers(ISP) and virtual network operators (MVNO) would offer a free of charge use of a set of specific applications or services to any user with a limited or non-limited data plan.
It would also mean bringing a higher connectivity level to people living in areas with poor Internet access caused either by a slow reception or to a low income and monetary issues. The bill for the services would be paid exclusively by Facebook and its application would include access to programs such as news and information websites, health information, job-directed websites, and of course apps the like of Facebook and WhatsApp.
The idea, which is planned to extend at a worldwide level and is already being tried out in a number of countries, would seem like an act of benevolence has already sparked a number of controversies and has been interdicted in two countries, India and Egypt.
Some are accusing Zuckerberg of unfair competition practices, as Facebook would be ensuring a steady number of users, both old and new. It would also mean that the company controls the app users Internet access and as such, could heavily influence the people using it.
This would mean a direct violation of net neutrality, and some have come to see this possibility as terrifying and dystopia-worthy. Others, the likes of human-rights activist Aran Balkan, see it as a new form of 21 Century colonial practices.
The term and colonialist idea come after a very controversial tweet posted by one of Facebook’s board members after India decided to ban the “Free Basic”. In it, the board member implies that the country fared better in its colonial years. After the intensive backlash, the Facebook CEO released a long, written apology.
The Facebook Free Basic idea is set to cause even more controversies as sources state that talks under way for the program’s implementation in the United States. The app’s mark of approval will most probably generate quite a number of heated debates around the nation as the Internet’s status of equality and openness will be put to the test and much discussed.
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