Spark

What will the internet look like with 5 billion users

Laura DeNardis argues that in the long term, two-tiered internet access in the developing world poses real problems for innovation and development.

Internet.org is is designed to connect people in the developing world to the internet. But the showpiece feature is an app that gives users free access to Facebook and a handful of other services, as opposed to the full, open internet.

Laura DeNardis, American University Communication professor and internet governance scholar, argues that in the long term, this kind of two-tier internet access poses real problems for innovation and development.