I just realized that I forgot to paste this response to the Andreesen tweet from our CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. I do think there is much room to debate over whether zero-rating programs are a net benefit, but at Facebook, we all agree that Mr. Andreesen’s remarks were wrong and absolutely do not represent our company. Many, many of Facebook’s employees, like Akua and I, are also from countries that can be described as post-colonial (including a large percentage from India), and you should know that the reaction within the company, from our colleagues, has been swift and angry.

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102645335962321

"I want to respond to Marc Andreessen's comments about India yesterday. I found the comments deeply upsetting, and they do not represent the way Facebook or I think at all.

India has been personally important to me and Facebook. Early on in my thinking about our mission, I traveled to India and was inspired by the humanity, spirit and values of the people. It solidified my understanding that when all people have the power to share their experiences, the entire world will make progress.

Facebook stands for helping to connect people and giving them voice to shape their own future. But to shape the future we need to understand the past. As our community in India has grown, I've gained a deeper appreciation for the need to understand India's history and culture. I've been inspired by how much progress India has made in building a strong nation and the largest democracy in the world, and I look forward to strengthening my connection to the country."

Ebele Okobi | Head of Public Policy, Africa

m. +44 (0) 771 156 1315

2 Stephen St | London | W1T 1AN

ebeleokobi@fb.com

From: Ebele Okobi <ebeleokobi@fb.com>
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 8:16 PM
To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Cc: Ali Hussein <ali@hussein.me.ke>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fwd: Re: [global-nn] Colonialism in the Digital World

I just wanted to say that we at Facebook STRONGLY reject the sentiments expressed by Marc Andreesen last night regarding India.

He does not speak for us.

Ebele Okobi | Head of Public Policy, Africa

m. +44 (0) 771 156 1315

10 Brock Street | London | NW1 3FG

ebeleokobi@fb.com

On Feb 10, 2016, at 7:20 PM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

Listers

The issue of Net Neutrality is becoming pretty hot.. Marc Andreessen sparked a furious tweet storm by suggesting that India would have been better off under British rule because of the recent decision on Internet pricing and 'free' access.

See link below.

Africa needs to define its own Net Neutrality rules..And this needs to be done yesterday.

Ali Hussein
Tel: +254 713 601113

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <director@ipop.org.pk>
Date: Feb 10, 2016 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: [global-nn] Colonialism in the Digital World
To: <azrak_khan@hotmail.com>, <global-nn@lists.riseup.net>
Cc:

Famed venture capitalist criticized India net neutrality rule and tweeted India would have done better economically under the British Empire.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-10/marc-andreessen-pro-colonialism-tweet-riles-up-india-tech-world

Arzak

Sent by Outlook for Android

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