In much of the country, especially in my circles, the Internet is something taken for granted these days. Then I saw this map. There are nations in which less than 10% of people have Internet access. Even in rising economies like India and China, the number is lower than I thought. There are people and companies trying to change that.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg is leading the charge to make the Internet accessible to those that don’t have it. Samsung, Nokia and Qualcomm are among those helping with this cause. Their tool is called Internet.org. They want to cut the cost of delivering Internet services, through computer or smartphone. They also want to make apps run more efficiently and improve networks to transport data better with less battery power. In one Interview, Zuckerberg claims, “The Internet is such an important thing for driving humanity forward, but it?s not going to build itself.”
On one hand, I applaud these efforts. These days, everyone around the world should have the right to have Internet access. In 2013, the Internet shouldn’t be a privilege, but a right. In many cases, it’s not a luxury, but a necessity. And people should have that choice and opportunity to use online services. But then the cynic in me kick in. There’s a part of me that wonders if this a tool to make more money for these companies. They know developed nations can only give them so much business, and here is a new source of revenue. So why is Zuckerberg and this Internet.org coalition doing this? Is it humanitarian, business, or a bit of both?