Facebook’s Free Basics initiative is an attempt to connect the world using the mobile web and an app called Discover. Discover allows people to browse the internet using a daily balance of free data from participating operators.
Discover allows people to browse the internet using a daily balance of free data from participating operators. Discover supports only low-bandwidth traffic (don’t expect to access video, audio, and other data-intensive content), and promises that “all websites are treated equally.
“Many internet users around the world remain under-connected, regularly dropping off the internet for some period of time when they exhaust their data balance,” according to a company announcement. “Discover is designed to help bridge these gaps and keep people connected until they can purchase data again. We’ll also be assessing how Discover can help people extend the use of their regular data balance and support internet adoption.”
Discover does not require a Facebook account, and won’t store or use browsing activity for other purposes. “We have also maintained strong privacy protections and provided transparency in the product about how these protections work,” the social network added. “As we test Discover, the existing model of Free Basics continues to help connect people around the world.”
Following this week’s launch in Peru, additional Discover trials are expected to roll out to countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Iraq soon.
