The duo explained how they collaborated with Columbia University and used Facebook’s own infrastructure to assess satellite images in 20 countries to estimate that 1.7 billion people live in areas where there is no internet connection. “Consumers don’t pay to use Facebook, they pay for the data they’re consuming through operators”.
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Thomas Husson, analyst at Forrester Research stated after Zuckerberg’s comments that the social networking giant has always had a love-hate relationship with carriers.
“360 video on Facebook is the first step – it allows you to look around and feel like you’re present while watching a video, whether it’s surfing in Tahiti or exploring the surface of Mars”, the company said in a post Sunday.
Then in 2015 Facebook went toe-to-toe with the Belgium government over the company’s implementation of cookies, with it being revealed that the site was potentially using them to track the web activity of both users and non-users of the site. Backing Net neutrality, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had barred operators from charging different rates for Internet access based on content, dealing a blow to Facebook’s controversial Free Basics and other such plans.
More significant, however, was the appearance of Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, at the press conference.
In its bid to further explore immersive new virtual reality (VR) experiences that will help people connect and share, Facebook has created a social VR team focussed entirely on exploring the future of social interaction in VR. The Finnish technology company, which has been concentrating on innovative products since it sold its smartphone business to Microsoft, is convinced that this will change the way movies are made across the world. “But that doesn’t mean that just because you have a company you don’t primarily care about the mission and the people that you’re serving and how you can make their lives better”.
“A big part of what’s enabling this [VR trend] is video”, Mr Zuckerberg said. “I think the problem I have with the photo is it just so easily lends itself to this VR fear-mongering thing that’s happening where everyone is losing their minds and saying ‘that’s it, we’re all going to be in “The Matrix” now.’ There’s no coming back from this”.
Mr Zuckerberg also shared insight into what he had seen at MWC this week.
Finally, Zuckerberg shared his thoughts on Apple’s ongoing legal battle with the FBI over the government’s request for a “backdoor” into the iPhone of one of the accused terrorists behind last year’s mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif. Apple refused a judge’s order and effectively dug its heels in for a battle in federal court, as well as the court of public opinion. “We believe in encryption”.
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While Facebook is only discussing the technology around the Gear VR right now, I’d expect it to end up on the Oculus Rift eventually. We have a responsibility to prevent terrorism.
