Nowadays, the internet is such a prominent part of our daily lives. We use it in our jobs, within our education, and to communicate with individuals anywhere in the world at any desired moment. The internet has such a powerful influence over so many aspects in our lives, but not everyone has access to it. Because of this, Facebook launched a free data plan several years ago. Facebook’s plan was released back in 2013, aiming to promote free internet access to developing countries that were unable to gain access to it prior to this plan’s publication. “Meta Connectivity," or Facebook’s free data plan, worked to provide free access to information and communication tools that were previously inaccessible by these countries. It provides data and a communicative version of Facebook, so, while users couldn’t gain access to the full site through this data plan, they were still able to communicate with individuals worldwide. While this seems incredibly revolutionary and beneficial, this plan held two significant flaws; user funds were being drained, and individuals who utilized this data plan had access to moderated information.
While Facebook aimed to provide as many benefits as they could within this plan, there were several mistakes noted within the program. To begin, the aim of this plan was to offer free internet access, with no charge provided, to users who couldn’t initially afford it. However, recent information has noted that this plan might not be as free as they initially claimed. Facebook was allowing users to access free content on certain websites that weren’t completely free. Thus, a miscalculation occurred within the program and information on these sites began to blend together, giving users access to exclusive premium content. This resulted in a major leakage in which many individuals were unaware, as their funds were being entirely drained. Oftentimes, these users wouldn’t become aware of this problem until it was too late, and their savings were already lost. This, however, was not the only concern.
Alongside the draining of user funds, Meta Connectivity provided another crucial drawback; it was censoring information and lacking efficiency. Recent research has shown that because Facebook needs to moderate this program in order to ensure that it is free, they’re also fully moderating the websites that users are able to access. This ultimately ends up violating the idea of net neutrality. Not only does this oppose the attempt to provide information to developing countries, but it severely limits general access on the internet. Thus, this plan combats its own goals, and does not provide the information that it should to the users who need it. This, in turn, poses a huge issue to the individuals who are desperately in need of this information.
While Meta Connectivity was created to benefit those who needed it most, it ultimately ended up doing quite the opposite. Through the use of this program, users have lost their life savings and have received access to censored, not necessarily beneficial, information. While Facebook has provided updates on their program and have worked to stop the leakage, even more recent information has displayed that they have not stopped censoring information. While the program seems beneficial towards those who need it most, users may need to re-evaluate its benefits.
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Published August 22, 2022
Edited by Anvita Chitrapu ~ Graphics created by Ramya Shah and Anushka
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