Facebook Zero

Facebook Zero is an initiative undertaken by social networking service company Facebook in collaboration with mobile phone-based Internet providers, whereby the providers waive data (bandwidth) charges (also known as zero-rate) for accessing Facebook on phones via a stripped-down text-only version of its mobile website (as opposed to the ordinary mobile website m.facebook.com that also loads pictures). The stripped-down version is available online only through providers who have entered the agreement with Facebook.[1][2][3][4] Photos are not loaded by default. Users may still choose to view them by clicking through but regular data charges apply to photo use.

History

Plans for Facebook Zero were first announced at the Mobile World Congress in February 2010 by Chamath Palihapitiya.[5]

It was officially launched on May 18, 2010 in collaboration with 50 mobile operators around the world.[1]

Carriers

Several carriers offer Facebook Zero.[1]

Reception and impact

An article by Christopher Mims in Quartz in September 2012 stated that Facebook Zero played a very important role in Facebook's expansion in Africa over the 18 months following the release of Facebook Zero, noting that data charges could be a significant component of mobile usage cost and the waiving of these charges reduced a significant disincentive for people in Africa to use Facebook.[12]

Facebook Zero was also credited as the inspiration for a similar initiative undertaken by Wikipedia titled Wikipedia Zero.[13][14][15]

Google Free Zone, a similar service launched by Google in November 2012, was viewed by Internet commentators as both inspired by and a potential challenge to Facebook Zero.[16][17][18][19]

The Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones of Chile ruled that Zero-rating services like Wikipedia Zero, Facebook Zero, and Google Free Zone, that subsidize mobile data usage, violate net neutrality laws and had to end the practise by June 1, 2014.[20][21]

In 2015, researchers evaluating how Facebook Zero shapes ICT use in the developing world found that 11% of Indonesians who said they used Facebook also said they did not use the Internet. 65% of Nigerians, 61% of Indonesians, and 58% of Indians agree with the statement that "Facebook is the Internet"[22] compared with only 5% in the US.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Murlidhar, Sid (May 18, 2010). "Fast and Free Facebook Mobile Access with 0.facebook.com". Facebook. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Facebook". MTN. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Facebook Zero - free on 2degrees!". 2degrees. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Facebook Zero!". GrameenPhone. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  5. ↑ Wauters, Robin (February 16, 2010). "Facebook Launches Zero, A Text-Only Mobile Site For Carriers". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ "E-Plus Gruppe: Kostenloser Zugang zu Facebook".
  7. ↑ "Cosmote 0.Facebook".
  8. ↑ "Vodafone Greece 0.Facebook".
  9. ↑ "WIND Hellas 0.Facebook".
  10. ↑ Consulji, Bianca (November 1, 2013). "Facebook Rolls Out Zero Data Charge Access in the Philippines". Mashable. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Facebook za ZERO bez reklam".
  12. ↑ Mims, Christopher (September 24, 2012). "Facebook’s plan to find its next billion users: convince them the internet and Facebook are the same". Quartz. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Mobile partnerships". Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ Brian, Matt (May 27, 2012). "Wikipedia Zero expands into Asia, drops mobile data charges for 10m subscribers in Malaysia". The Next Web. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  15. ↑ Dillon, Conon (December 18, 2013). "Wikipedia Zero: free data if you can afford it". Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Google Free Zone". Google Operating System blog (not affiliated with Google). October 25, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ Knowles, Jamillah (November 8, 2012). "The Phillipines gets Facebook Zero-style free mobile access to Google services via Globe Telecom". Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  18. ↑ Jana (December 3, 2012). "Google Free Zone: Google’s Challenge to Facebook Zero". Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  19. ↑ Deibert, April (February 19, 2013). "Google ‘Free Zone’ and Facebook ‘Zero’: Products Targeting Developing Populations". Innovation Series. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  20. ↑ Mirani, Leo (May 30, 2014). "Less than zero – When net neutrality backfires: Chile just killed free access to Wikipedia and Facebook". Quartz. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  21. ↑ McKenzie, Jessica (June 2, 2014). "Face Off in Chile: Net Neutrality v. Human Right to Facebook & Wikipedia". Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  22. ↑ Leo Mirani (9 Feb 2015). "Millions of Facebook users have no idea they’re using the internet".

External links

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