Yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg and Narendra Modi were on same stage at Facebook’s headquarter. It was an awesome Question and Answers session where Mr. Narendra Modi answered few questions asked by people there. Just before this event, Facebook launched a tool to change your profile picture with a watermark of tricolors of Indian flag. URL of that tool is: fb.com/supportdigitalindia. It is clear that the tool is to support digital India. Repeatedly, it says “Show our support for Digital india.”
Update: Facebook confirmed that it has nothing to do with internet.org.
Why did we change our profile pictures with support digital India tool?
Yes, we Indian people are supporting Digital India because we want our India to become global leader in the field of Internet and technology. Even if we have low internet infrastructure, we still have various big Internet startups like Flipkart, Snapdeal, Ola and others who are competing with global startups and beating them in country. Recently, Practo become world’s largest startup for healthcare booking. Very small part of our population use Internet. There are many people who still do not use online banking. Various government organizations are still managing their data on papers. To revolutionize the internet use in India, we need Digital India. This is the reason we as Indian support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India initiative. Digital process will make work process faster and things will become easier for all citizens. It will also help in reducing the corruption in country.
I and almost all the Indian people were very excited to see the response in Silicon valley. This is why, most of use have already used that tool to change the profile picture to show our support for digital India.
No, Digital India and Internet.org are not the same.
Dear Mark Zuckerberg, I am very happy to see your excitement in becoming the part of India’s Digital India initiative. But let me make one thing clear. Digital India still does not accept your Internet.org (Now free Basics). Changing the name of Internet.org to Free basics does not help it in passing our Net Neutrality debate. As a Internet user, I want to access an unbiased Internet. You cannot bound me access the limited Internet just because you want to offer me it free. You will ruin various startups which are in early stage with limited funds to promote them online or sponsors their users’ visit.
Ok let us not talk about this now. I just want to be on your support digital India tool. We were supporting digital India with this tool but you took hidden support from us for your Internet.org. What the hell is this. A look into source code was showing this.
Dear Mark, we know that India is a very market for you but be genuine and fair here. Do not try to cheat us. We are emotional and specially if the matter is country’s pride. But do not use our emotions to support your hidden agenda.
Recently, you confirmed that 17 million people supported your Internet.org. Can you confirm how did you receive those supports. I am sure, you received in the similar manner. When I rejected your survey 3 times, you removed the No option in that survey. You must first try to see how you are planning to ruin the Internet space with your biased and limited Internet space where every one will be using Facebook and your advertisers. And while running your ads and polls, you must confirm how you are planning to offer those free websites.
I will not be surprised to see if you count all those people who changed profile pictures as supporters of Internet.org. But this is not true. While we were supporting the Digital India initiative, you were taking an hidden support for your Internet.org. As you have yet to use our data to show support for your Internet.org, I want to warn you before you do this.
You must understand that “Digital India and Internet.org are not the same thing”. If you think the same, you are fooling yourself. We as Indian will never accept your Internet.org until it does not violate Net neutrality concept.
So, you must rollback all the supports you took in past 24 hours and you must apologize for what you did behind our back.
