In partnership with Telenor.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Facebook’s Internet.org — a collaboration between the social media giant and various telecom companies that aims to provide free and basic internet access to the masses — debuted in Pakistan earlier today.
By partnering with local company Telenor, he Internet.org platform is able to provide free access to an array of services pertaining to health, education, finance, news, and jobs. According to Tech in Asia, a technology-focused media company, some of the sites included in the initiative are ESPN Cricinfo, BBC, Accuweather, OLX, and UNICEF Facts for Life.
Local websites such as Ilmkidunya, Mustakbil, and Urdupoint Cooking are part of the Internet.org package in Pakistan as well.
Internet.org first launched in Zambia in July 2014 and has since expanded to Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Ghana, India, Philippines, Guatemala, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Malawi, and despite the initiative’s steady proliferation throughout developing markets, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Internet.org have sustained a slew of criticism citing the issue of net neutrality as the catalyst.
At the heart of the debate is Internet.org’s policy of “zero-rating,” in which telecom providers agree not to pass on the costs of handling the data traffic so that consumers can receive services for free.
Critics argue this has a distorting effect on competition, making it difficult for publishers not signed up to Internet.org to reach the hundreds of millions of poorer people in developing economies who have no internet access at all.
In response, Facebook has emphasized the fact that joining Internet.org is free for web publishers and app providers.
Zuckerberg believes “if someone can’t afford to pay for connectivity, it is always better to have some access than none at all,” according to post he wrote on Facebook.
Speaking to the Daily Pakistan, Nikhil Pahwa, a volunteer for the SaveTheInternet.in campaign, voiced concerns shared by both Pakistanis and Indians.
“Because of the competitive aspect of Internet.org, if my competitor is on it, I will feel compelled to be on it as well,” he said, “And all of this data will be available to Facebook and – because of the lack of HTTPS – that data can also be sniffed by telecom operators and by governments.”
In India the issue has galvanized the public — last month BBC reported more than 800,000 people sent emails to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India demanding a free and fair internet.