In response to critics who contended that the social network was violating the principle of net neutrality, Facebook has announced that its Internet.org project will now be open to all developers. “Our goal with Internet.org is to work with as many developers and entrepreneurs as possible to extend the benefits of connectivity to diverse, local communities. To do this, we’re going to offer services through Internet.org in a way that’s more transparent and inclusive,” said a company blog post.
Internet.org is a Facebook-led project to bring the Internet to everyone on earth. It originally launched in Africa and has since expanded to India and Indonesia. Facebook came under fire for hand-picking which developers and services participated in the project.
Despite the new openness, developers still must meet some guidelines. In order to participate with Internet.org, mobile development firms must create apps that “encourage the exploration of the broader internet,” do not require a lot of bandwidth and do not include “JavaScript or SSL/TLS/HTTPS elements.”
