Facebook Considering Launching Free Basics In US

Facebook has been in talks with the United States government about introducing its controversial 'Free Basics' internet scheme to the country. Free Basics is an app that allows users who cannot afford pay for normal internet connections to have limited access to certain sites for free. The pages available through the service are Facebook-curated, and include news pages, education services and health education. However, Facebook has attracted controversy from some for picking and choosing the websites available itself, and not offering full access to the web. Free Basics was even banned in India after it was found to contravene net neutrality laws. Senior strategy director Timothy Karr for Free Press, told The Guardian that it is “worrying when you have a company as powerful as Facebook inserting itself as a gatekeeper to the online world”. 

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