On: Threads 24% likely to overtake Twitter, down from ...

[wongarsu]

They did a lot to establish themselves in third world countries and try to be "the internet" over there.

[stavros → wongarsu]

Ah, I didn't know that, and I was wondering how much they were used in third world countries, thanks.

[johannes1234321 → stavros]

In a really evil way: they have the internet.org and "Free basics" initiative where in some countries they pay mobile phone providers to not rate limit access to Facebook&Co (and Wikipedia) which makes access to them free, but for all else of the internet people have to pay.

When I was in Indonesia quite many years back, the strategy worked in the regard that all communication with landlords for apartments, taxi drivers, ... went via WhatsApp. As that was free. (If it worked for Facebook to make profit via ads I doubt).

Some countries, like India, created regulation to prevent that.

[stavros → johannes1234321]

Ah yeah, I've seen something like that here in Greece too, where we have (had?) a really cheap "social media" package with only Facebook and WhatsApp.

[johannes1234321 → stavros]

Those "zero rating" programs (which aren't allowed in EU) still require a subscription fee. In internet.org Land, you have to get a device somehow and activate a sim card and then never pay a thing (unless you want phone calls (besides WhatsApp calls), SMS or "true" internet) It's a massive project to lock in a society disguised like a NGO doing development aid programs. ("Internet access is a human right" - Zuckerberg)

[stavros → johannes1234321]

Jeez, that's evil.