'Can't Connect The World Without Connecting India: Mark Zuckerberg at IIT Delhi

New Delhi: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg today said he believes India will be crucial to getting "the next billion online." He also vigorously defended Facebook's controversial Internet.org project, which critics allege violates net neutrality.

Mr Zuckerberg emphasised that Facebook has always supported net neutrality, the principle that companies providing Internet access should not favour some sites or restrict access to others.

"We have always adhered to net neutrality regulations but there are several countries who still do not have norms in place. We will adapt to them as soon as they are in place as we are in favour of being 100 percent net neutral," he said.

Taking on his critics, the 31-year-old tech billionaire said, "Most people pushing for net neutrality have access to the internet. But those who aren't on the net cannot sign petitions for increased access to the internet. We have a moral responsibility to look out for people who do not have the internet... and make sure the rules don't get twisted to hurt people who don't have a voice."

Internet.org, he said, is live in 24 countries and "there are 15 million people in the world who have access to the Internet" because of it.

He explained his keen interest in India, where a billion people are still not online. "If you really have a mission of connecting every person in the world you can't do that without connecting people in India," Mr Zuckerberg said, adding, "We have the second biggest community in India and we want the next billion to come online."

India is Facebook's second biggest market after the United States, with about 130 million of its 1.5 billion worldwide users, making it critically important for the site, which is banned in China.
 His trip came after a weekend visit to Tsinghua university in Beijing where he delivered a 20-minute speech in Mandarin, a language he has been studying since 2010.

At IIT-Delhi Mr Zuckerberg answered questions ranging from artificial intelligence to the top-voted, "Why do I get so many requests for (the online game) Candy Crush?"

The last time he had interacted with Indians at a townhall, Mr Zuckerberg wore a suit and tie. That was in September when he hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his company's headquarters in the US. Today, he wore a grey T shirt and dark jeans.