Activists say Free Basics stymies cyber space

A wallet-sized box developed by activists could well be their answer to Facebook’s Free Basics.

A group of activists opposing the social network’s massive global campaign to ‘usurp’ internet have developed the $350 device that can provide free internet to an entire village.

Connected to an ISP chosen by the panchayat, this device acts as a modem and can connect all people in a village, allowing them to access the internet and make phone calls. “It all depends on the antenna. If you fix a bigger antenna, you can add more villages to the network. You don’t need to change the base device,” Y Kiran Chandra of Free Software Movement of India (FSMI) told BusinessLine .

The data costs will be borne by the panchayat.

The cost of device could be brought down through economies of scale.

“All the components are available in the market. We have written software to suit our needs. If we produce thousands of such devices, the cost would come down,” he said.

The device will be tested in a pilot in Ganga Devulapally in Warangal district next month.

“This is a workable model for countries like India. What Facebook’s doing with its Free Basics is making internet exclusive. The Freedom Box is an inclusive service,” he said.

“If more number of villages is connected with the device, you can create intranet, making conversations much more easier,” he said.

The activists demonstrated the efficacy of the Freedom Box on Sunday at the dharna-site at Gachibowli to protest against Facebook’s alleged attempt to limit the access to the Internet. “Free Basics is not about free internet but offering select content of those who are part of this. This helps in creating a balkanised internet where content distribution is controlled only by a few organisations. Free Basics is going to create a major dent in net neutrality and open web itself,” Kiran Chandra alleged.

Over a hundred FSMI activists held a rally before sitting in a dharna, carrying placards and raising slogans against Free Basics.

Facebook has led a massive publicity campaign in the print, electronic and social media soliciting support to Free Basics.

It argued that the activists were hiding certain things about the initiative.

“Free Basics is open to any carrier. Any mobile operator can join us in connecting India. Nearly 800 developers in India have signed their support to it,” Facebook said.

The activists, however, alleged that the dissenting views were being muffled by the social network.

They demanded that the agreements between Facebook and the corporations that are joining Free Basics be made public.

“We urge the Government of India to uphold the very basics of net neutrality that are elementary to achieve a Digital India, increase innovation, avoid a ruthless encroachment of the cyberspace,” the FSMI said.

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