📡 Connecting the “unconnected”: real internet or just a prettier cage?

Here’s the promise you’ll hear: satellites and big tech platforms are teaming up to bring internet to places that don’t have it yet, especially in parts of Africa. That sounds awesome. More people online means more chances to learn, start businesses, call family, and get emergency help. The ads show smiling kids video-chatting from a village and farmers checking weather on their phones. Who wouldn’t want that?

But there’s a catch: not all internet is the same. Some deals offer “zero-rated” access, which means certain apps or sites don’t count against your data. Cool, right? Except that can become a walled garden—free to enter, but you only see what the company wants you to see. If news, education, and payment options are filtered through one platform, that platform shapes what people learn, buy, and believe. Add heavy data collection, and you’ve got millions of new users feeding a giant ad machine before they even learn basic digital safety.

Ask yourself: is this real access to the open web, or are we building dependency on a few companies that decide which doors are open?

What can you do to push things in a better direction? First, support community networks and local ISPs. These are small, locally run providers that keep money and jobs in the area and are more likely to listen to neighbors than shareholders. Second, push for neutral access and open peering—fancy words that just mean, “don’t play favorites.” All sites should have a fair shot at reaching people, not just the ones with the biggest marketing budget. Third, practice and teach digital self-defense. Show new users how to create strong passwords, spot scams, turn off creepy app permissions, and use privacy-friendly browsers and messaging. A quick workshop at a school or community center can make a huge difference.

If satellites are part of the future (and they probably are), let’s make sure they serve people first. That means transparency on pricing, clear privacy rules, fair competition, and easy ways to leave one service for another without losing everything. Internet should feel like a library and a toolbox—not a shopping mall that tracks you.

Bottom line: connection is power. Make sure that power stays with the community, not locked in a corporate garden.

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1451187580459-43490279c0fa

#grownostr #news #Connectivity #Africa #OpenAccess