For many first-time Internet users Facebook could become the gatekeeper of the Internet.

Here’s how it works: to offer the Internet.org service in a given country, a deal is made between Facebook and a telecom provider. The provider then offers the service to customers, and blocks access to any websites other than Facebook and a small group of other sites hand-picked by Facebook’s Internet.org team. Facebook then heavily promotes the service within the region, in the hopes of attracting Internet users with limited means to their free, but heavily restricted service.

Now, the services Facebook chooses are the only ones the user is able to access – with all our favourite (and competing) video, comedy, and news sites blocked. So when some of the poorest people in the world get access to Internet.org, they’re made to believe they’re on the real Internet, while in reality they’re only on Facebook’s fake Internet comprised of a few hand-picked sites. What’s worse, Facebook is using its enormous power and weight to make this service the de facto Internet service in many countries around the world.

https://openmedia.ca/blog/how-facebook-blocking-3-billion-soon-be-internet-users-real-web