Facebook Was 'Hand In Glove' With China (bbc.com) 21
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: A former senior Facebook executive has told the BBC how the social media giant worked "hand in glove" with the Chinese government on potential ways of allowing Beijing to censor and control content in China. Sarah Wynn-Williams -- a former global public policy director -- says in return for gaining access to the Chinese market of hundreds of millions of users, Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, considered agreeing to hiding posts that were going viral, until they could be checked by the Chinese authorities.
Ms Williams -- who makes the claims in a new book -- has also filed a whistleblower complaint with the US markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging Meta misled investors. The BBC has reviewed the complaint. Facebook's parent company Meta, says Ms Wynn-Williams had her employment terminated in 2017 "for poor performance." It is "no secret we were once interested" in operating services in China, it adds. "We ultimately opted not to go through with the ideas we'd explored." Meta referred us to Mark Zuckerberg's comments from 2019, when he said: "We could never come to agreement on what it would take for us to operate there, and they [China] never let us in."
Facebook also used algorithms to spot when young teenagers were feeling vulnerable as part of research aimed at advertisers, Ms Wynn-Williams alleges. A former New Zealand diplomat, she joined Facebook in 2011, and says she watched the company grow from "a front row seat." Now she wants to show some of the "decision-making and moral compromises" that she says went on when she was there. It is a critical moment, she adds, as "many of the people I worked with... are going to be central" to the introduction of AI. In her memoir, Careless People, Ms Wynn-Williams paints a picture of what she alleges working on Facebook's senior team was like.
Ms Williams -- who makes the claims in a new book -- has also filed a whistleblower complaint with the US markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging Meta misled investors. The BBC has reviewed the complaint. Facebook's parent company Meta, says Ms Wynn-Williams had her employment terminated in 2017 "for poor performance." It is "no secret we were once interested" in operating services in China, it adds. "We ultimately opted not to go through with the ideas we'd explored." Meta referred us to Mark Zuckerberg's comments from 2019, when he said: "We could never come to agreement on what it would take for us to operate there, and they [China] never let us in."
Facebook also used algorithms to spot when young teenagers were feeling vulnerable as part of research aimed at advertisers, Ms Wynn-Williams alleges. A former New Zealand diplomat, she joined Facebook in 2011, and says she watched the company grow from "a front row seat." Now she wants to show some of the "decision-making and moral compromises" that she says went on when she was there. It is a critical moment, she adds, as "many of the people I worked with... are going to be central" to the introduction of AI. In her memoir, Careless People, Ms Wynn-Williams paints a picture of what she alleges working on Facebook's senior team was like.
Surpise? (Score:5, Insightful)
Is this a surprise to anyone?
This seems to have been pitched as "it was secret", and "Zuck was building censorship apparatus". Meta has since said it was public about wanting to operate in China (I don't remember, but I'll take them at their word - you'd be more surprised if they weren't). As for building censorship apparatus, that's mandatory if you want to play in China.
Taking the car analogy, if you want to sell cars in (say) China, you have to make them left hand drive. Well, duh, of course you do. You want to sell there, you play by their rules. You might think those rules to be abhorrent, but those are the rules - take it or leave it.
So all in all, I don't really see what the fuss is about. Zuck's still a dick, but we all knew that already.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Exactly, it was never a secret that Facebook, now Meta, wanted to operate in China. I remember more than decade ago listening to commentary about how they were trying to come up with some way they could operate there that would not been seen as going to far to help the CCP oppress.
China is also the kinda place where if you break the rules you local people could find a bag over their heads. So as you say it is take it or leave it; its not trying and see how big the fines are in court. This is challenge beca
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Facebook did operate in China. Why do people think it didn't? They were booted out for supporting terrorists in Xinjiang.
When they were no longer useful to China, Pooh Bear altered the deal. This is my surprised face.
Re: (Score:2)
Everyone who wants to publish in China works hand in glove with the Chinese government. Unlike so many others, Facebook ultimately concluded that they couldn't meet the government's requirements without compromising their product and abandoned the effort.
Imagine everyone's shock! (Score:4, Insightful)
I just assumed this was going on, and I'm pretty sure just about everyone who thought about it and wasn't born yesterday had the same assumption.
Also, TFA says "Ms Williams -- who makes the claims in a new book -- has also filed a whistleblower complaint with the US markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), alleging Meta misled investors." Given the current 'regulatory' environment in the US - and all the other political shit that's going on there - I think it's safe to say that complaint will go straight into the circular file and never see the light of day. After all, the folks who bought the election will insist on getting their money's worth.
Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re: (Score:1)
Well that would depend on when the whistleblower complaint was filed, wouldn't it?
Or are you just so desperate to bothsides everything because the current administration is a pathetic joke of ignorance, incompetence, stubbornness, and betrayal?
Re: (Score:3)
I would imagine this was true in the Biden administration too?
She left Facebook in 2017, so her inside information is about Facebook's activities in 2017 and earlier.
News? (Score:1, Flamebait)
This was a subject many years ago when Zuck actually names one of his kids after Xi.
It was pretty obvious why, as he was desperately trying to get into PRC market at that time.
Re: (Score:3)
Source ? Common wisdom is that Mark Zuckerberg's 3 kids are named Maxima, August, and Aurelia,
Re: (Score:3)
Makes me wonder if the family does "roman salutes" to each other...
Re: News? (Score:3)
He named one of his kids Winnie the Pooh?
Another gold digging "whistleblower" (Score:2)
True whistleblowers who bravely come forward with inside information about crimes deserve our admiration and protection. People who abuse those protections deserve the opposite.
chEYEnah (Score:2)
Facebook worked with $COUNTRY to set $POLICY for their $SOCIAL_NORMS. ...and???
..and everywhere else.. (Score:1)
Musk buying twitter exposed what Facebook (and other social media) was doing at the behest of the deep state, arguably a far more evil clique of people than CCP.
Salt. (Score:2)
Sounds like vengeful hearsay from a disgruntled former employee. Doesn't mean its automatically false, and you'd have to be stupid to actually TRUST Meta in any case, but I'm taking this with a healthy salt dose.
Is Facebook even popular in China? (Score:2)
I thought China has its own popular social network services.