Facebook opens up Internet.org platform to developers

Facebook today announced that it has opened up the Internet.org platform to developers. The social networking giant also highlighted that its efforts with Internet.org were non-exclusive partnerships with mobile operators to offer free basic Internet services to people through Internet.org.

Facebook said that developers that join will need to follow three principles that it has followed in building versions of Facebook and Messenger for Internet.org. These are designed to align all participants’ incentives and bring more people online. Participation will remain free for any developer or user.

Here are the guidelines for participation, as detailed by Facebook:

1. Explore the entire internet

The goal of Internet.org is to allow more people to experience the benefits of being online.

For most people who aren’t online, the biggest barrier to connecting isn’t lack of infrastructure - more than 80% of the world’s population already lives within range of a mobile signal. Instead, the biggest challenges are affordability of the internet, and awareness of how internet services are valuable to them.

The Internet.org Platform aims to give people valuable free services that they can use to discover the entire wealth of online services and, ultimately become paying users of the internet.

Services should encourage the exploration of the broader internet wherever possible.

2. Efficiency

To sustainably deliver free basic internet services to people, we need to build apps that use data very efficiently.

Operators have made significant economic investments to bring the internet to people globally, and Internet.org needs to be sustainable for operators so that they can continue to invest in the infrastructure to maintain, improve and expand their networks.

Websites that require high-bandwidth will not be included. Services should not use VoIP, video, file transfer, high resolution photos, or high volume of photos.

3. Technical specifications

Websites must be built to be optimized for browsing on both feature and smartphones and in limited bandwidth scenarios. In addition, websites must be properly integrated with Internet.org to allow zero rating and therefore can’t require JavaScript or SSL/TLS/HTTPS and must meet our technical guidelines.