Facebook's nonprofit arm, Internet.org, has been working with lower-income countries and local internet service providers to provide communities with some form of access to the internet. After all, how can an internet company make money off people who don't have internet access?
Regardless of what one thinks of Facebook's ulterior motives for Internet.org, the company is helping people get out of poverty by using the internet to complete basic tasks like finding jobs and gaining access to Wikipedia and other sources. However, some companies in India feel that their partnership with Internet.org goes against Net Neutrality.
"Cleartrip, an ecommerce online travel site, prominent news channel, NDTV, and media startup, Newshunt, were among those who announced their pull-out from Internet.org. India's largest media company, which publishes the Times of India newspaper, said it was withdrawing some of its services from the initiative," reports Forbes.
Many of these withdrawals seem to correlate with local discussions of Net Neutrality in India. Indian ISPs are discussing the potential of giving users free data access to certain apps and businesses so that they can sell to consumers without internet access. However, "Campaigners felt that such practices go against the free spirit of the internet and are rallying together even as India's telecom regulator solicited public opinion on whether telecom operators should be allowed to charge differential rates," writes Forbes.
Many perceive Internet.org as one of the companies that would create a disadvantage and would favor one web company over another. However, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg recently said that he believes projects like Internet.org can exist without breaking the protocols of Net Neutrality.
