This will be a very welcomed alliance as the migrant crisis continues to play out in Europe. However Zuckerberg claimed that his initiative will connect every person on the globe to the Internet but it gives Facebook role of a gatekeeper, which is certainly against the net neutrality. This falls directly in line with a wide-ranging 15-year plan that includes the eradication of extreme poverty, which a United Nations summit approved on Friday. When all people all over the world are connected through the internet, it augurs well to build a common global community to enable shared understanding.
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“If someone can’t afford to pay for connectivity, it is always better to have a few access than none at all”, Zuckerberg says.
“Internet access is a catalyst for creating a world of greater freedom, fairness and dignity for all peoples, everywhere”, added Jamie Drummond, co-founder and global executive director of the poverty-fighting group one ONE.
Mark Zuckerberg has announced that Facebook is to set up a partnership with the UN’s Agency for Refugees to bring internet access to refugee camps around the world, reports Silicon Beat.
The Connectivity Declaration aims to provide internet access to everyone on the planet in the next five years. Joining Mr Zuckerberg in this global campaign is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, singer Bono, business tycoon Richard Branson and pop star Shakira.
It’s obviously not entirely charitable though, with Facebook clearly benefitting from having more people online, something that Zuckerberg readily admits. Facebook restricts the content developing nations can access.
“We have a simple message”, Zuckerberg wrote. Zuckerberg defended Internet.org and is now heading to India to hold a town hall-style discussion with the country’s prime minister.
Later, while addressing the luncheon at the United Nations, Mark said, “Internet is more than just a network of machines; it is the key driver of social and economic progress in our time”.
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About $25 billion has now been committed to meeting these goals, with $3.3 billion from the U.S. and pledges from Canada, Germany and Sweden.
