Facebook, Inc.’s Internet.org initiative says its goal is to “connect the two-thirds of the world that doesn’t have Internet access,” but the program has not been without its critics. Most recently, several high-profile Indian businesses refused to support Internet.org’s platform because they argued that its “zero-rate” deals prioritize certain types of web traffic over others, violating the principles of net neutrality.

In response, Facebook has announced that it is opening up Internet.org’s platform to allow more developers to take part in the project, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg took some not-so-subtle jabs at the critics.

“Some may argue for an extreme definition of net neutrality that says that it’s somehow wrong to offer any more services to support the unconnected, but a reasonable definition of net neutrality is more inclusive,” Zuckerberg said in a video outlining the new direction for Internet.org. “Access equals opportunity. Net neutrality should not prevent access. We need both. It’s not an equal Internet if the majority of people can’t participate.”

Internet.org’s platform focuses on simple, low-resource apps that can run on older phones with slow connectivity. Because of this, the apps it supports generally have to be custom-built with these limitations in mind. Facebook’s app on the platform, for example, does not support picture or video.

“What kind of community do we want to be?”

While the service began by offering a small number of apps in the beginning, it will soon allow more developers to participate in the platform in an app store-like environment.

“Developers that join will need to follow three principles that we’ve followed in building versions of Facebook and Messenger for Internet.org,” Facebook said in a statement. “These are designed to align all participants’ incentives and bring more people online. Participation will remain free for any developer or user.”

The guidelines state that apps should allow users to explore the entire Internet, they should be efficient and they should comply with Internet.org’s technical guidelines.

“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What kind of community do we want to be?'” Zuckerberg said. “Are we a community that values people and improving people’s lives above all else, or are we a community that puts the intellectual purity of technology above people’s needs?”

You can find more information about participating in Internet.org’s platform at www.internet.org/platform.

Photographer: Udit Kulshrestha/Bloomberg