Facebook ‘Accidentally’ Asks US Users to Support Free Basics in India

Ahead of a public hearing on network neutrality, Facebook has been asking its user base in India to throw some support behind the company’s Internet.org initiative, CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pet project to bring the Internet access to the entire world. On Dec 21, it started asking its US users to do the same — by mistake.

Facebook rolled out notifications encouraging users to “send a message to TRAI to support digital equality,” with a link to a blank email that included the subject, “I Support Free Basics in India.” (TRAI is the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the independent regulatory body holding the public debate.) The notification caught the attention of a few users who were curious why Facebook was using its notifications tab to push its political agenda, especially one in India. A spokesperson claims that it wasn’t intentional. “Hundreds of millions of people in India use the Internet every day and understand the benefits it can bring. This campaign gives people the opportunity to support digital equality in India.”