Three Cheers for Red Tape

Free Basics Trojan Horse

In friendship there are somethings that one does not ask for. Prime Minister Modi invited Mark Zuckerberg to India to highlight his own tech savviness and his ability to rope in the best brains in the world. Alas Mark gave a spiel for Free Basics which would have allowed free internet to millions but through the controlling hands of Facebook.

That smelled a teeny bit like the first advances of the English towards the kings and sultans of India. It was that old story of the camel ejecting the master from the tent slowly and steadily.

Marky boy tried that old Trojan Horse trick dangling the free internet bit.

You know what saved us; good old fashioned caring bureaucracy. Our telecom regulatory authority of India- TRAI rejected the offer.

Facebook would have only allowed free content approved by it thus being the Big Brother of our nation imported from the US.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35547416