There are two inaccuracies in that statement. First, Free Basics will not be free, over the long term. Facebook has said that their long-term plan for Free Basi

There are two inaccuracies in that statement. First, Free Basics will not be free, over the long term. Facebook has said that their long-term plan for Free Basics includes monetization of some sort. Presumably, it'll be a combination of advertising and collecting commissions for e-commerce transactions made via Facebook. Second, and more importantly, even if Free Basics were completely free, it'd still be wrong. Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer for free with Windows. They did not do this as an altruistic gesture. They did it to crush Netscape, which was challenging their software monopoly on the desktop. Facebook is doing exactly the same thing with Free Basics. This is not an altruistic gesture by Facebook, regardless of what Mark Zuckerberg writes in his op-ed. This is a calculated move to establish a Facebook monopoly over user data in the largest untapped Internet market in the world. Facebook, with Free Basics, is ensuring that no other social network or messaging platform can challenge it in India. The technology community rightly applauded the US Department of Justice when it initiated anti-trust actions against Microsoft. We should applaud the Indian technology community for standing up and forcing the government of India to take a hard look at the long term consequences of a Facebook monopoly.