Internet.org in Zambia: Altruism or Corporate Lip Service?

Gaining access to the Internet “is a really big deal" to Mark Zuckerberg – in his eyes, connectivity is a human right. This is the ethos powering Internet.org, an initiative he announced in July 2013. The project, which aims to make Internet access fast and affordable for those living in remote, underserved areas of the globe, is a partnership between Facebook and six mobile phone companies across the world. 

In numbers, the initiative seeks to bring Internet access to the 70% of the world without it – that’s roughly 5 billion people. Through Internet.org, users will be able to access the Internet via smartphones outfitted with the Internet.org app, giving them access to a number of services. 

On July 31, Internet.org launched its first campaign in Zambia. Facebook has partnered with the Zambian offshoot of Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel to bring Zambians Internet.org access. The perks include access to 13 different services, from AccuWeather to Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action to the Women's Rights App. 

The campaign has precedents that are similarly sponsored by corporations. Google recently announced that it's pouring immense capital into Internet-beaming micro-satellites, wi-fi balloons, and drones. It also sought to bring subsidized access to Google applications like Gmail and Google+ with 2012’s Google Free Zone. 2010's Facebook Zero sought to accomplish something similar, acting as an embryonic version of Internet.org through which Facebook provided subsidized access to a bare-bones, text-only version of its site. Wikipedia Zero launched in 2012 to afford users free Wikipedia access on mobile phones. The Alliance for Affordable Internet, or A4AI, launched in October 2013 with the aim to enforce regulatory change to universalize affordable access.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, via Brian Solis.

In principle, Internet.org, predicated on bridging the global digital divide, sounds noble and just. That said, the project has been the