Facebook wants to create a censorship tool in order to provide Chinese users with access to the social network.
Some users take Facebook for granted. However, few people know that Mark Zuckerberg’s creation has certain restrictions when it comes to expanding to some foreign territories governed by communist parties or totalitarian regimes. Hence, countries like China, Iran, and North Korea forbid their internet users to go online and like each other in virtual reality. For this purpose, Facebook is considering to develop a censorship tool that can allow Chinese users, in particular, to meet online, via the social network.
Seeing that North Korea limits the use of the internet to only a few chosen ones anyway, we can only say that China and Iran really do have a bone to pick with Facebook and completely ban the use of the social network within the nations’ borders.
However, the Facebook founder has found a loophole and intends to take full advantage. According to The New York Times, Facebook seeks to develop a censorship tool that could shroud prohibited or sensitive matters from the Chinese public. Hence, the censorship tool can allow a third-party to prevent users from learning about specific content of national importance that breaks the Chinese government’s rules.
Moreover, the censorship tool can enact human rights abuse while unlocking a wave of Chinese users and ultimately adding some income for Facebook. Hence, China could use this measure to track rebellious organizations or insubordinate users that try to protest against the government. In the end, the instigators would face prosecution.
Mark Zuckerberg strongly believes that human interaction via social networks could benefit Chinese internet users.
“It’s better for Facebook to be a part of enabling conversation, even if it’s not yet the full conversation”, says Zuckerberg.
A Facebook spokesperson admitted that the company displays a certain degree of interest towards China for a long time. However, in their learning process of Chinese regulations, they have not yet come to an agreement on how to approach the Chinese officials on this matter.
In present, Facebook focuses its attention on Chinese developers and businesses that seek to expand to new markets outside their country by using the social network’s ad platform.
One major setback is that the interpersonal connection through Facebook could strengthen communities that seek to overthrow the Chinese government or display rebellious acts towards Chinese officials. As a consequence, the misuse of the Facebook’s censorship tool could lead to a catastrophic string of events that would ultimately throw the country into a state of chaos.
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