Internet.org is offering an illusion

Zuckerberg’s fake Internet.org puts privacy, security and the freedom of expression of internet users at risk. Speak out at NoFakeInternet.org Article by Adnan Ahmad Chaudhri for Digital Rights Foundation  On May 28th, Telenor Pakistan (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Norwegian telecommunications Telenor Group) formally announced that it had partnered with Facebook on the latter’s Internet.org initiative.

Zuckerberg’s fake Internet.org puts privacy, security and the freedom of expression of internet users at risk. Speak out at NoFakeInternet.org

Article by Adnan Ahmad Chaudhri for Digital Rights Foundation 

On May 28th, Telenor Pakistan (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Norwegian telecommunications Telenor Group) formally announced that it had partnered with Facebook on the latter’s Internet.org initiative. According to Facebook and its partners, the objective of Internet.org is to provide selected internet services for free. At first blush, this comes across as a boon for citizens in the developing world, where data services can be expensive for many. Being able to access the internet without running up large bills, and without draining one’s monthly data package allowance sounds ideal. By signing up to Internet.org, Telenor’s mobile subscriber base in Pakistan – which at last counts comes close 35.2 million – will have access to a list of websites and internet services, which Techjuice has listed here. With Telenor as a start, more people in Pakistan will have greater access than ever before, and for next to nothing. 

Beyond the altruistic sentiment, however, all is not well. Rather than giving people greater choice, in reality what Internet.org and its backers are offering is limited and leaves everyone worse off, down the road, creating and encouraging two-tier internet access that, in the long run, makes losers out of us all. Pakistani Tech activists and entrepreneurs have expressed their dismay Facebook and Telenor’s launching of the initiative. Arzak Khan of Internet Policy Observatory Pakistan, for instance, expressed deep concern “that an established operator like Telenor is joining Facebook’s Internet.org initiative and launching what is a limited and insecure internet. The impact of such a move will stifle investment in infrastructure development and threaten freedom of expression, equality of opportunity, security, privacy and innovation.”

“We don’t support Internet.org”, say activists such as Sana Saleem of Bolo Bhi. “I believe that they are changing the way that people will access internet in the future for the next billion they are making internet insecure and  limiting their access by suggesting that only these few websites and apps are approved by Facebook, it is against the principle of Net Neutrality and it limits people’s access.”

- Read more at Digital Rights Foundation