Once in a while mistakes happen, and even a popular and big company like Facebook isn't immune to this fact. This is exactly what happened this week. The social media is scheduled to have a net neutrality public hearing next month in India. In line with this, it has been asking its users in the country to show support for the social network's project to bring Internet access throughout the world. Unexpectedly, the networking site also asked its US users to do the same, and we learn it is by mistake.

Facebook has been recently sending out notifications encouraging its users to send a message to the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) of India to support digital equality. The said message comes with a link to a blank email with the subject line "I Support Free Basics in India." TRAI is India's independent regulatory body that will be holding the public hearing.

This notification was sent accidentally to the social media's US-based users. According to the company's spokesperson, the move wasn't intentional; it was purely a mistake on their side. The spokesperson further said that a lot of consumers in India use the Internet every day and understand the benefits that it can bring them.

Facebook's campaign enables its users to have the opportunity to support digital equality in India. The spokesperson adds that the notification was accidentally turned on for some users outside India for a short period of time but has been on for English speakers in India for days now. 

It could be recalled that the social media's Internet.org has been facing backslash in India throughout the year and has also asked for its users' support in the past. The controversial issue it deals with is the fact that it is reportedly offering free Internet services, especially Facebook for free, but only for a selected group of services. Critics have said that with this move, Internet neutrality has been compromised and that it violated the concept of treating all online contents equally.

Currently, this issue has been gaining audience as it is big enough to be ignored. Aside from the fact that India is the second-biggest user of the social network outside of the US, the result of this hearing might also be setting example of what would happen to other important countries like Brazil and Indonesia.