Facebook has launched an online campaign to gear up support for its Free Basics initiative (formerly Internet.org), likely taking a leaf out of its opponents' book -- who recently launched a campaign in favour of net neutrality, whose principles Free Basics is accused of violating.
The Save Free Basics initiative calls on Indian Facebookers to send an email to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), asking the government agency to support its Free Basics program.
The campaign appears as a notification on your page, more so after a 'Friend' has signed a pre-filled form and sent the email to the TRAI.
The message:
The message under the subject 'I support Free Basics in India' is as follows:
To the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, I support digital equality for India. Free Basics provides free access to essential Internet services, such as communication, education, healthcare, employment, farming information and more. It helps those who can't afford to pay for data, or who need a little help with getting started online. And it's open to all people, developers and mobile networks. With 1 billion Indian people not yet connected, shutting down Free Basics would hurt our country's most vulnerable people. I support Free Basics and digital equality for India. Thank you.
While it does make Facebook sound like a messiah in a country where internet penetration is still low with only 18 people out of 100 having access to the internet, , the campaign is to push its internet.org program that offers a limited set of websites and applications free of charge to users.
If it comes into effect, the internet.org program by providing free services to web users, will direct the flow of traffic through its services to preferred partners. Other websites and services that haven't tied up with Facebook via its Free Basics program will miss out on some of India’s 130 million Facebook users.
The TRAI had on March 27, put up a consultation paper on its website asking users to give their views on net neutrality in India. Close to the last day, the regulator had received 1 lakh votes supporting net neutrality, by launching the 'Save The Internet' campaign in India.
Criticism came from widespread corners with individuals associated with tech start-ups even writing an open letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to come out and support them on the issue. The letter, that was on ‘savetheinternet.in’ website was been signed by start-ups like Housing.com, Goibibo, Medianama, Scrollback, etc.
Recently World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners Lee too attacked Facebook's internet.org initiative, saying: "In the particular case of somebody who's offering ... something which is branded internet, it's not internet, then you just say no. No it isn't free, no it isn't in the public domain, there are other ways of reducing the price of internet connectivity and giving something ... (only) giving people data connectivity to be a part of the network deliberately, I think is a step backwards."
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
