Mark Zuckerberg is calling upon developers everywhere to contribute to his Internet.org initiative, which aims to bring free web access and a range of online services to some of the world's most remote populations.
Created by the Facebook co-founder in 2013, Internet.org is a global initiative involving tech companies (Ericsson, Mediatek, Opera, Samsung, Nokia, Qualcomm), non-profit groups, local communities and experts with the goal of bringing internet access to the two-thirds of the world's population still living without it.
For the time being, the initiative consists merely of an app for entry-level smartphones, available in a handful of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Through local partnerships, the app provides access to basic services such as messaging, educational resources and health resources, all free of cost and without advertising.
Of course, Facebook is one of the services offered, and this has led to accusations that Zuckerberg's app flouts the principle of net neutrality, essentially directing users straight to the social network. In response to criticism, the Facebook CEO has uploaded a video announcing how he plans to bring the project more in line with net neutrality, namely by opening the project to all developers, as long as their websites are light and basic (without Flash and JavaScript, for example).
Interestingly, just as Google is seeking to connect the world through balloons (see the Loon project), Facebook is looking into the possibility of a system of solar-powered drones as part of its Internet.org initiative.
