But Free Basics went too far. It violated net neutrality principles by favoring specific services. In 2016, (one of Facebook's biggest target markets) banned Free Basics outright, ruling that zero-rating created an uneven playing field.
While Facebook framed the initiative as a benevolent effort to connect the unconnected, it drew sharp criticism from digital rights activists and regulators. facebook.com zero
This is the practice where internet service providers (ISPs) or mobile operators do not charge customers for data used on specific applications or websites. But Free Basics went too far
Launched around 2010, Facebook Zero was a stripped-down, text-and-links-only version of the social network. It had no images, no videos, and no JavaScript. What it did have was a revolutionary business model: While Facebook framed the initiative as a benevolent
Why would Facebook spend millions on carrier integration and server optimization? Two reasons:
Free Basics expanded on the Zero model. Instead of offering just Facebook, it offered a suite of services—including news, health, job boards, and the social network itself—free of charge. However, the core criticism remained: Facebook acted as the gatekeeper, choosing which services were allowed into the free tier, effectively becoming the gatekeeper of the internet for millions.