Today, the Hindustan Times, The Times Of India and The Indian Express featured full page advertisements put out by Facebook in support of their Free Basics initiative.
The advertisement comes just a few days after net neutrality activists used social media to make people aware that free basics is just another name for internet.org, which in turn does not support net neutrality.
Here is what the advertisement looked like:
This advertisement was yet another move by Facebook to convince Indians to support Free Basics. Many of us share moments of our lives on the platform but to the company, you are just another consumer.
When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had come to IIT Delhi, he said: “Most of the folks that are pushing for net neutrality have access to the Internet already. But the people who are not yet on the Internet can’t sign an online petition pushing for increased access to the Internet.”
Now look at the seventh eighth and ninth point of the advertisement.
If most of the folks who are supporters of net neutrality are internet users already and people with no access to internet can’t sign online petition then how did they get an 86% approval rating?
Either which way, this fight is far from over. Facebook has fired the latest salvo, now over to the Net Neutrality brigade.