Facebook has announced the Internet.org Platform, "an open program for developers to easily create services that integrate with Internet.org." The partnership is designed to deliver affordable Internet access to the developing world. However the initiative has been criticized for violating net neutrality:
Facebook says it will allow more websites and other online services to join its "free mobile data" Internet.org scheme.
The announcement follows a backlash against the initiative. Opponents suggest it compromises the principles of net neutrality, because it favours access to some sites and apps over others.
But Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg said it was "not sustainable to offer the whole internet for free". "It costs tens of billions of dollars every year to run the internet, and no operator could afford this if everything were free," he said in an online video posted to Internet.org's website.
Also discussed at TechCrunch, Ars Technica, Gizmodo, and Quartz.
Previously:
Internet Access in Developing World With Drones
Facebook's Internet.org - "Internet-For-Everyone" - Launches in Zambia
India Debates Net Neutrality
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bradley13 on Tuesday May 05 2015, @02:27PM
"The Internet.org Platform aims to give people valuable free services"
As if most things on the Internet aren't already free. Only on this site, it will be free like the bait on a fishhook. Some organizations are just plain evil, in the sense that it really is only about the money. Facebook is one of them.
There are already people who think Facebook = Internet. With this domain name, Facebook obviously intends to encourage this delusion.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 2) by CoolHand on Tuesday May 05 2015, @02:33PM
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
(Score: 3, Funny) by Nerdfest on Tuesday May 05 2015, @04:14PM
This is AOL, but paid for in personal information. My complaint isn't that you pay for it with information, it's that it's AOL.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2015, @04:17PM
Well, given that the vast majority of people already think WWW=internet, that's just the next logical step.