Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quick to respond to the criticisms against Internet.org.
According to critics, Internet.org is against the concept of net neutrality. But Zuckerberg strongly disagrees. He wrote, “Every person in the world deserves access to the opportunities the internet provides. And we can all benefit from the perspectives, creativity and talent of the people not yet connected."
In its homepage, Internet.org is defined as "a Facebook-led initiative bringing together technology leaders, nonprofits and local communities to connect the two thirds of the world that doesn't have internet access."
Internet.org was recently launched in India then in Indonesia. With concerns that it is against net neutrality, several Indian companies that originally signed up for the Facebook initiative have decided to withdraw, Bloomberg reported.
Still, Zuckerberg insisted that the critics are wrong. He explained that "net neutrality is not in conflict with working to get more people connected. These two principles - universal connectivity and net neutrality - can and must coexist."
"We have a historic opportunity to connect billions of more people worldwide for the first time," Zuckerberg ended his lengthy post explaining why Internet.org and net neutrality go hand in hand. "We should work together to make that happen now."
In another Facebook post, Zuckerberg shared a photo of himself with a shop owner in the "cyber village" Taman Kampoeng Cyber in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which was taken in 2014.
In the caption, Zuckerberg wrote that having launched Internet.org in Indonesia is "one more step towards connecting the whole world."
"We're going to continue rolling out Internet.org in more and more countries so that one day everyone can share the opportunities of a connected world," Zuckerberg announced.