Re: India regulator pillories Facebook over Free Basics lobbying - BBC news

Facebook itself is guilty of violating of 'platform neutrality', of
which net neutrality is a sub type, in the manner in which it used its
platform to launch a political campaign in its own favour.. The dangers
on such a thing for Indian democracy are obvious, as also pointed out in
the TRAI letter

Last week I wrote an oped in The Hindu which inter alia addresses this
issue
'What Free Basics did not intend to do'
<http://www.itforchange.net/What_Free_Basics_Did_Not_Intend_To_Do>

I think, TRAI should be formally approached to examine this case and ban
such political campaigns by platform owners, when such a platform is of
a monopolistic character as FB is.

parminder

On Wednesday 20 January 2016 06:30 PM, Banibrata Dutta wrote:
> Fundamental, well founded and strong arguments there.
>
> TRAI letter to FB:
> http://trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Miscelleneus/Document/201601190319214139629TRAI_letter_to_FB_dated_18_01_2016.pdf
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 2:12 PM, Kiritkumar Lathia <[email protected]
> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>
>     A little bit more on the objections raised by IIT and IIS
>     professors (total 50+):
>
>     ... The academics said in a statement that the Free Basics plan
>     was "a lethal combination which will lead to total lack of freedom
>     on how Indians can use their own public utility, the Internet".
>
>     line break
>
>     The professors say there are three key problems
>     <http://scroll.in/article/778805/full-text-facebooks-free-basics-will-limit-internet-freedom-say-50-faculty-of-iits-and-iisc> with
>     Facebook's plans:
>
>       * Facebook assumes control of defining what a "basic" service is.
>       * Facebook would be able to decrypt the contents of the "basic"
>         apps on its servers. This flaw is not visible to the lay
>         person as it's a technical detail, but it has deep and
>         disturbing implications.
>       * The term "free" in "free basics" is a marketing gimmick. If
>         Facebook gets to decide what costs how much, in effect Indians
>         will be surrendering their digital freedom, and freedom in the
>         digital economy, to Facebook.
>
>
>     So all communications decryted by FB - something not even
>     governments can do -  so there goes privacy for profits and of
>     course it would be "free and basic" if it brings revenue stream to FB.
>
>     Is it not wonderful (sic)?
>
>     On 20 January 2016 at 09:01, Kiritkumar Lathia <[email protected]
>     <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>
>         Follow up on Arun's previous e-mail chain; for once TRAI has
>         taken the correct step to protect "net neutrality" which is
>         important for not only India. As many have mentioned, there is
>         no free lunch and this type of business by false advertising
>         ("Free Basics") is not only morally wrong and should be
>         regarded as falsifying a product (access of Internet for free
>         but does not give access to Internet - only some selected
>         parts of it). I hope it prevails and does not allow Internet
>         cannibalisation . Any news on what happened to free Internet
>         access from Google at train stations?
>
>         From the BBC news article:
>         Quote:
>         " But those campaigning to protect net neutrality in India
>         suggest data providers should not favour some online services
>         over others by offering cheaper or faster access. At least 50
>         professors of the Indian Institute of Technology and the
>         Indian Institute of Science also supported the campaign to
>         protect net neutrality, saying that the Free Basics plan was
>         "a lethal combination which will lead to total lack of freedom
>         on how Indians can use their own public utility, the Internet".
>         End Quote.
>
>         Best wishes,
>         Kirit
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> regards,
> Banibrata
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/bdutta
> http://twitter.com/edgeliving
>
>
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