Free Internet?

Internet.org is a huge idea that will involve billions of people and has the right idea. Internet.org plans on bringing the 2/3 of the world that is not connected to the internet, the infrastructure and services that are required for connection. Their idea is to make all the components that go along with the internet, more affordable, efficient, and use business models to create the infrastructure needed. I think this is a great plan and will allow less fortunate countries to flourish with their own ideas, since they will have access to the research needed. This will also bring better communication and could potentially increases the standard of healthcare in these rural areas. But what really comes out of this massive effort to connect everyone in the WORLD, more surveillance and meta data mining?

Although this looks like a solid plan, it has its holes here and there. Now Internet.org does not just simply give the “Internet” to all the rural areas of the world. The plan is to offer an app that allows people to access 38 websites as of now, that Internet.org have chosen to be available. Who makes the call on what websites are available? How does one go about getting on the list of available websites? These are all questions and concerns that have lead several companies to abandon the platform. Some people consider this going against net neutrality, only allowing certain company’s websites to be available within the app.

This app still needs web access and even though Facebook isn’t paying for the services provided by the cellular companies that allow this web access, these companies benefit when people pay for the broader, more unrestricted access. Even though most of the information on the app is covered under the free services, there are still links to the outside which require the users to pay for wireless services. I feel like this is just another way to market the big time companies and allow them get every penny they can. Offering minimal services only to taunt them into eventually wanting more and paying for their services.