Facebook wants US to have free internet access -- but there's a catch


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Facebook is looking to bring its free internet program to the US. But even if it gets permission, access will be restricted.

 

By Liam Tung

 

Facebook is eyeing a US launch of its Free Basics mobile app, which would offer smartphone owners free internet access, but only to a subset of the web.

 

The social network has been in talks with the US government and a number of smaller wireless carriers for months, reports The Washington Post.

 

Free Basics, run by Facebook's internet.org group, is one tool it's using to connect the next billion people to the internet.

 

It has now rolled out the mobile app to 53 mostly emerging markets in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America in partnership with local carriers. Access to some websites, including news, health information, jobs sites, and Facebook, doesn't count against the user's mobile data allowance.

 

However, Facebook was forced to shut down the service in India after regulators banned operators from charging customers different prices for data, including schemes where the offer was free. Facebook also canceled the service in Egypt, reportedly because it refused to cooperate with the government's surveillance orders.

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Would any1 trust free internet from fb, you problaby can't torrent or anything like that

Edited by Andrew
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