Tag: Internet.org

Today, 30 digital rights groups from around the globe released an open letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg decrying Facebook’s recent actions concerning the Free Basics program in India.

Today Facebook announced several changes to Internet.org in response to growing international complaints about the program. While some of the changes are positive, our core concerns remain — the program now known as Free Basics violates Net Neutrality and establishes Facebook as a global gatekeeper for internet connectivity, affecting billions of peoples’ ability to connect to the free and open internet.

Today Facebook announced several changes to Internet.org in response to growing international complaints about the program. While some of the changes are positive, Access’ core concerns remain.

This week Facebook announced a new phase for Internet.org, an initiative that seeks to “connect the two thirds of the world that doesn’t have internet access” — but which, in its current form, adversely impacts the security and privacy of people who use the program to go online. However, while Internet.org now welcomes more carriers, it remains a program with fundamental flaws that this expansion does not address. It continues to give users only a slice of the internet for free, undermines security and privacy, and raises serious questions about how the program will impact local innovation.

Platform violates Net Neutrality, harms security, and fails to provide true access to the internet, groups say.

Inviting more sites and services to join Internet.org doesn’t fix the program’s Net Neutrality problem. In fact, in many ways it makes Internet.org even more troubling for those of us who care about digital rights.

Facebook’s expansion into Latin America with its Internet.org program undermines Net Neutrality and raises troubling questions about development and the internet.