Wikimedia Foundation to Shut Down 'Wikipedia Zero' This Year

In what is being interpreted in some quarters as a victory for net neutrality, the Wikimedia Foundation has announced that it will finish its cypher-rated programme, 'Wikipedia Zero', that allowed netizens to access the online encyclopaedia without any information being deducted from the users' allotted information buckets. The projection was started in 2012 with a view towards bringing complimentary information to more people effectually the globe, but has been mired in controversies e'er since, for allegedly flouting cyberspace neutrality norms that the arrangement says it supports wholeheartedly.

Wikipedia Cipher cumulatively had over 800 million subscribers e'er since its launch, but the organization says that it is shutting down the service after experiencing "a meaning drib off in adoption and involvement" over the past couple of years, partly on account of dropping data prices in developing markets. Wikimedia likewise says that, low awareness about its famed oversupply-sourced encyclopedia exterior Europe and Due north America was 1 of the reasons why people are simply non taking advantage of the free program.

At a time when internet neutrality debates are raging everywhere from the US to Bharat, Wikimedia is still not giving up on its idea of providing specific net-based services for free in the developing regions. The arrangement says that its 'success' in places like Iraq and Nigeria has given it "several ideas for where we may accept our partnership piece of work next".

It's worth noting that, Facebook also runs a similar program called 'Free Basics' (formerly Internet.org) that aims to provide people in developing regions admission to specific websites and net-based services past tying up with carriers. While the plan was nipped in the bud by TRAI later astringent protests by net neutrality activists, it'southward still going strong in several parts of Eastern Europe, Middle Eastward, Africa, the Caribbean area Islands and Latin America.