Good. Look at all of the good all of the altruistic foreign aid has done for the poor nations of the world. In case you aren't aware, it hasn't done much good at all, and often does a lot of harm by perpetuating corruption and undermining local markets. Capitalism is the most successful anti-poverty program in history the world. Facebook has found a way to make money by providing connectivity to a billion people. What a triumph.
Facebook is not being altruistic here, and there's no such as thing as free. Whenever a merchant offers "free shipping," they're just manipulating the customer and the cost is built in elsewhere.
When facebook offers "free internet," whatever benefits it provides, the cost is hidden and built in elsewhere in Facebook's business model. Which means such a free internet that facebook is supposedly altruistically providing is actually being paid for elsewhere, whether in higher ad costs for India or some other area of their business.
This means facebook is essentially skirting net neutrality by indrectly paying for people to only have access to Facebook.
This is on top of anticompetitiveness of the move. Giving anything away for free destroys natural competition in the ecosystem. See the case of TOM's shoes giving away free shoes and destroying local shoemakers.[1]
Their tactics here makes it justifiable for a country like China to block Facebook. Imagine if Facebook took over China, and started blasting political messages with ulterior motives to 2+ billion people, trying to influence them for corporate gain.
Except for the fact that Facebook is not providing any connectivity here. It is simply access to the walled garden that is Facebook. It is not internet in any form, not even the subset.
You are mistaken. Facebook will be one of the services offered on this platform, but anyone can apply to have their web service included. But even if it were just Facebook, that's very much connectivity. Users would be able to message people across the world, communicate with companies and government, share their views, comment on others views, etc. It's a hell of a lot more connectivity than telegrams, phones, and television ever were.
Good. Look at all of the good all of the altruistic foreign aid has done for the poor nations of the world. In case you aren't aware, it hasn't done much good at all, and often does a lot of harm by perpetuating corruption and undermining local markets. Capitalism is the most successful anti-poverty program in history the world. Facebook has found a way to make money by providing connectivity to a billion people. What a triumph.
Facebook is not being altruistic here, and there's no such as thing as free. Whenever a merchant offers "free shipping," they're just manipulating the customer and the cost is built in elsewhere.
When facebook offers "free internet," whatever benefits it provides, the cost is hidden and built in elsewhere in Facebook's business model. Which means such a free internet that facebook is supposedly altruistically providing is actually being paid for elsewhere, whether in higher ad costs for India or some other area of their business.
This means facebook is essentially skirting net neutrality by indrectly paying for people to only have access to Facebook.
This is on top of anticompetitiveness of the move. Giving anything away for free destroys natural competition in the ecosystem. See the case of TOM's shoes giving away free shoes and destroying local shoemakers.[1]
Their tactics here makes it justifiable for a country like China to block Facebook. Imagine if Facebook took over China, and started blasting political messages with ulterior motives to 2+ billion people, trying to influence them for corporate gain.
[1] http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/10/economic...
I'm not sure you read my comment.
2 replies →
Except for the fact that Facebook is not providing any connectivity here. It is simply access to the walled garden that is Facebook. It is not internet in any form, not even the subset.
You are mistaken. Facebook will be one of the services offered on this platform, but anyone can apply to have their web service included. But even if it were just Facebook, that's very much connectivity. Users would be able to message people across the world, communicate with companies and government, share their views, comment on others views, etc. It's a hell of a lot more connectivity than telegrams, phones, and television ever were.
Let's not pretend that most aid given by governments is altruistic.