In his second visit to India this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg interacted with technology students in a town-hall style meeting in New Delhi. During the discussion he defended his company's efforts to expand Internet access in developing countries like India.
Zuckerberg aims to offer basic internet access via Android devices to at least 24 countries mostly across Asia and Africa amassing up to 15 million users. In India alone, 300 million people have been using the internet, 130 million of whom have access to Facebook. India is the world's second largest user base for the social network next to the U.S. However, one billion more people in the country have still no access to the Internet.
Free Basics, formerly known as Internet.org, could potentially help alleviate poverty in India as well as other developing countries. This could provide information to the poor as well as contribute to the economy's development.
This platform was developed along with other technology companies and has brought a series of responses from both governments and analysts including praises and criticisms. There have been criticisms that Free Basics is lacking in transparency due to the selection of the kind of information going through as well as giving favor to Facebook's own services over other companies.
The Facebook founder argued with net neutrality activists claiming that those who wanted full access to the internet, already have it. The necessity of limiting content to the Free Basics platform was because "you cannot provide the whole Internet for free."
"We deeply care about servicing the Indian community and giving them the best tools. That's why I want to be here," said Zuckerberg.
Last month, Zuckerberg hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a Silicon Valley town hall meeting, at which Modi also touted the power of social media in economic development by helping people to share knowledge and ideas.
Despite Facebook's efforts to defend their philanthropic ideals, sources claimed that activists believe that the company is actually pursuing a hidden agenda to increase its monthly active users.
