Facebook Responds To <I>Outlook</I> Cover Story

How does Facebook propose to participate in PM Modi's Digital India campaign?

We are going to get communities connected to ?WiFi by empowering entrepreneurs with tools and technology to connect their town via our Express Wifi program.  We are going to give people access to job sites, health information, communications tools, government services and more that will help connect more people and people improve people’s lives through our Free Basics partnership with operators. We are going to develop new technology to bring connectivity to people that existing technologies aren’t reaching, like solar powered aircraft that beam connectivity from the sky.  Facebook’s mission is to connect the world. When we say that, we mean everyone – including the more than 1 billion people in India without access to the internet.

We believe that when people can connect with one another, public services, businesses and their communities, life gets better for all of us. That’s why we’re also enthusiastic supporters of Digital India.

If we want to connect India, then we need to urgently solve massive technical challenges. The internet needs to be more affordable, and people need awareness of the value of internet services. So we’re working on several different programs that can achieve this.

On the infrastructure side, we’re leading an effort in India called Express Wi-Fi that empowers local entrepreneurs to offer internet access to unserved towns in their region. 

Free Basics, which we launched in India earlier this year, is an application and website that addresses the affordability and awareness challenges by giving people a way to experience the internet for the first time with zero data charges. By showing people the value of being online, we can accelerate internet adoption - and it’s working.

Our data proves this unequivocally. Data from Reliance shows that in the circles where Free Basics is available, the rate of new people coming online is twice that of areas where it is not and more than 40% of those coming online for the first time are opting to access the full internet within the first 30 days. That is a remarkable success story – and we believe we can improve on these numbers.

Today, eight times the number of people using Free Basics in India are paying for full internet service as opposed to those just using free basic services. Free basic services is getting people online and once they experience the value of connectivity, they are accessing the full internet. Reliance also announced last week that Free Basics has helped one million Indians experience the internet.

Free Basics works. This is how we can make Digital India a reality.

Why did the issue regarding inclusion of Internet.org's code in the Digital India display picture code on Facebook come up? Who all are responsible? How did Facebook let such a thing happen? Does it not have a system of checks to prevent issues like this?

There is absolutely no connection between updating your profile picture for digital India and registering support for Internet.org. An engineer mistakenly used the words "Internet.org profile picture" as a shorthand name he chose for part of the code. We changed the code to eliminate any confusion. In terms of how it happened, mistakes sometimes occur, a fact we would hope Outlook would appreciate after its erroneous reporting on internet.org and Free Basics.

How did Facebook let such a thing happen? Does it not have a system of checks to prevent issues like this?

We invited people to change their profile pictures to show support for the Indian government’s Digital India effort. After the source code for the website was found to contain a reference to Internet.org, we changed the code to avoid confusion. This was a mistake and there was no intention behind it.

What is Facebook doing to dispel talk that this was a deliberate ploy by Facebook to get support for Internet.org beyond issuing a statement that it was a programmer error?

We made a public clarification very quickly and moved to fix the issue immediately. Also – there is no technological connection between showing support for Digital India and registering any support for internet.org or Free Basics.  It just doesn’t exist.

What does Internet.org seek to do in India and why was its name changed? What does it bring on the table for India?

Internet.org by Facebook remains the name of our overall initiative to connect two thirds of the world's population who don't have access to the internet. This encompasses our work beyond Free Basics such as Express WiFi and our Connectivity Lab efforts, which is focused on developing innovative new infrastructure technologies.

We introduced the Free Basics name since this is a simpler way to describe the free basic internet services we’re offering as an introduction to the internet. From our research we also found that people had trouble recognizing and typing in the “Internet.org” URL. We listened and responded.

In India, only 18 percent of the population has access to the internet. To bring one billion people in India online, the internet needs to be accessible, affordable and, most importantly, we need to help people understand the possibilities available to them online. Free Basics is an application and website that is helping to bring people online and show them the value of being online to help accelerate internet adoption. In India, Free Basics has helped one million Indians experience the Internet and more than 40% of those coming in through Free Basics graduate to paid services within a month.

Free Basics is helping to make Digital India a reality.

There is a general impression in India that Internet.org is anti net-neutrality in India and a government committee has also stated this in a report. How does Facebook plan to respond to this?

Facebook strongly supports net neutrality, and Internet.org doesn’t change this. Full stop. It’s also shocking that Outlook and others writing on the program have failed to accurately report that it is now open to ALL developers and ALL applications that meet basic technical requirements.

We have publicly responded to the DoT report, and pointed out that preserving the principles of net neutrality and expanding internet access are essential for building a vibrant knowledge economy.

As recognized in the DoT Report, we introduced the Free Basics Platform to promote an internet access model that is open and non-exclusive Free Basics acts as a gateway to the internet, not a gatekeeper, by breaking down the cost, infrastructure and social barriers that exist today. We are committed to working with all stakeholders to overcome the infrastructure, affordability and social barriers that exist today and to bring more people in India online.

The principle underlying net neutrality is that carriers should not disadvantage consumer welfare or consumer choice. Facebook is fully committed to the idea that the internet must be open and neutral. We oppose attempts by operators to block or throttle Internet traffic, or create special paid “fast lanes”.

Net neutrality is not in conflict with working to get more people connected. Free Basics is free to users and free to content providers. Developers don't pay the operator or Facebook to be a part of Free Basics. Facebook does not pay operators for data that is consumed.

Free Basics is a stepping-stone to the paid internet, not the end point. This seems an entirely reasonable way to respect net neutrality while bringing people online.

There was a strong reaction to Bharti Airtel's zero rating platform. Is Internet.org different from it? How will Facebook convince people about it?

With Airtel Zero, the free services pay Airtel to participate. With Free Basics, developers don’t pay us or operators to be part of the ecosystem. All Facebook provides is support with marketing and tech support.

Internet.org was considered to be an organization which was not for profit. But now it has been renamed Freebasicservices.com which brings in a commercial element. What is Facebook's response to it?

No money is being paid to Facebook or its partners as a condition of participating Free Basics. Internet.org by Facebook remains the name of our overall initiative to connect two thirds of the world's population who don't have access to the internet, which encompasses our work beyond Free Basics such as our Express WiFi, which is a program we are testing in India to empower local India entrepreneurs to offer Internet access, and our Connectivity Lab initiatives, which address the 10% of the unconnected world where infrastructure to deliver internet access does not yet exist.

We introduced the Free Basics name based on feedback from people that the Internet.org name was confusing. We listened and responded in order to:

• Better distinguish the initiative (Internet.org by Facebook) from the products and services we're providing, including Free Basics.

• More intuitively describe the product to consumers, a set of free basic internet services that serves as an introduction or “onramp” to the internet.

• Improve usability, in our research we saw that may users had trouble recognizing and typing in “internet.org” as a URL.

How will Internet.org benefit the poor and will it not tie them to only those websites and services that are on the platform?

The program is open to all developers and apps that meet basic technical requirements.  The Free Basics Platform helps more developers to offer their services to the public and gives people greater choice over the services they want to use. The data also proves that people are using the free basic services as a launching point for discovering the entire internet. In India, data from Reliance shows that in the circles where Free Basics is available, more than 40% of those coming in through Free Basics graduate to paid services within a month.

Free Basics provides access to basic services that can be built by any developer, using our published, open technical specifications. Right now, the poor don’t have access to any connectivity. We believe providing people with access to a range of services for free is better than nothing.

Has Internet.org got support from companies beyond the initial group that was backing it?

Hundreds of companies partner with Facebook on Internet.org and Free Basics. We are partnering with many companies for Express Wifi to deliver tools and technologies to entrepreneurs that connect their towns. We have partnered on satellite access for Africa. As of September, people in 21 countries and on 23 operator networks where Free Basics has launched were able to search for and use those services that developers have adapted for the Platform. In September, 30 new services were made available in India meaning there are now 80+ services on Free Basics in India, and hundreds of services available on the Free Basics Platform globally.

What are Facebook's current numbers in India and what will Facebook gain from a widespread acceptance of Internet.org in India?

132 million people in India use Facebook every month. Reliance announced last week that Free Basics has helped one million Indians experience the internet.

Internet.org is working to connect everyone in India to the internet. That’s our goal. We believe that the more people can share and connect, the better life becomes for all of us. Having all the incredible diversity and creativity of India’s society and culture online will enrich the entire world – and open up new jobs, opportunities and resources for hundreds of millions of people. This is what we and all of humanity stand to gain.

This web-exclusive column does not appear in print magazine.