Facebook has recently brought forward a new update to its Free Basics internet connection initiative, to connect more people to the internet.
Named 'Discover', the new project allows users to access more internet services through Facebook, which previously only offered a limited subset of tools and sites in the first iteration of Free Basics.
The Free Basics initiative was launched by Facebook in 2015 with the idea of enabling people in developing or underdeveloped regions with a lack of internet connectivity to access the internet. Facebook has had partnered with various websites for the limited-data offer.
Facebook's mission has remained to 'connect the world' and this initiative lives up to that while also bringing more users to Facebook with time.
However, Facebook does have full control over the platform and that signals a problem as only Facebook picks what websites users will be able to access via it. This means that people who have no access would have to rely on Facebook to allow them to access what the platform finds suitable, this could lead to more emphasis on Facebook's own products. In many regions, Free Basics was banned and now the new 'Discover' option is here to address it.
According to Facebook,
"Discover is a mobile web and Android app that can be used to browse any website using a daily balance of free data from participating mobile operators."
While Discover is Free Basics it focuses on enabling a broader usage, so Facebook would no longer hold the position to decide what people can access through the tool. This will help Facebook resolve regulatory concerns as well as penetrate into more regions, which could help with the growth of the platform.
For now, it is now being launched in Peru, but will soon be available in Thailand, Iraq, and the Philippines in the upcoming days.
