Facebook “Free Basics” seems to offer “free access” to the
Internet for those who cannot afford it. However, the scope offered is only to
Internet sites that Facebook chooses. This unfair limitation of scope, often
described as a “walled garden” is detrimental to society, especially those who
cannot afford open services. Thus a two tier Internet usage model will arise
with unlimited access for those who can afford it, and limited access for those
who cannot.
Net neutrality is the principle that digital service
providers, especially those that offer access to the Internet, must enable
access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without
favouring or blocking particular products or websites without prejudice to
domestic laws and regulations. Facebook Free Basics contravenes this principle.
It is important that government maintains net neutrality and
its own technological sovereignty by ensuring that every digital service
provider offers full access to the internet and its resources. Technological
sovereignty is achieved when information and communications infrastructure,
processes and data are subject to the laws of the country in which they are
located or pass through. Access to general internet resources by our people
must not be dictated or limited by foreign company.
Facebook and other firms
are welcome to make charitable contributions to our poor and underserved in
cash, or kind such as via data bundles and capacity building initiatives. This
does not preclude the prerogative of Government sensors, or national security
restrictions, because that is the privilege of an elected government, with
checks and balances, not a foreign profit oriented company.
Data is getting cheaper in Nigeria and eventually everybody
will be on the full and open internet, given time. Many of the nations that
have acceded to Free Basics are poor nations with little experience of anything
better, unlike Nigeria. Egypt and India have formally shut down the initiative
in their jurisdictions. Furthermore, digitally progressive countries like
Japan, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Netherlands have banned agendas such as
Free Basics. Many experts including Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the
world-wide web, have condemned Free basics.
Facebook Free Basics is bad for Nigerian entrepreneurs and
national ICT oriented wealth generation and job creation initiatives because a
business cannot be discovered by the expected new potential users on the
internet until they advertise on Facebook. Furthermore, if Facebook is allowed
then every other company will offer its own "free Basics."
Should this happen then we will then have a fractured
digital nation, where its people are unable to speak, and trade, with each
other because they will be on different, unconnected micro-networks. Ironically,
Facebook Free Basics will prevent Nigerian businesses from emerging as future
“Facebooks.” This is because our business’s will not be able to realise their
full potential over fractured networks and thus setting the stage for endemic
techno-colonialism and digital imperialism.
We must ensure that principles of Net neutrality are
strengthened, broadened and deepened, in our best national interest and in the
best interest of our people.
*Contributed by Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, Chair, Consultancy Support Services Ltd., Abuja, Nigeria.
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