Taipei [Taiwan], April 11 : A former global policy director at Facebook has testified before the US Senate, alleging that Meta has jeopardised national security and freedom of speech in its dealings with China, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former global policy director at Facebook, stated in a Senate hearing on Wednesday that the content review tool used on Facebook was personally developed and implemented by Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg for application in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
She explained that this tool would automatically send a Facebook post for review to a "chief editor" once it surpassed 10,000 views. "The Chinese Communist Party and Mark Zuckerberg share a common goal of silencing their critics. I can attest to this from my own experiences," Wynn-Williams remarked during the congressional testimony, RFA reported.
This tool was used in both self-governing Taiwan and the Hong Kong region under Chinese control, where the Chinese Communist Party has been intensifying its united front initiatives. As per RFA, China's united front efforts blend influence, interference, and intelligence tactics to manipulate its political environment. The United Front Work Department in China engages in activities such as managing the Chinese diaspora, quelling dissent, gathering intelligence, promoting investments, and facilitating technology transfer.
Despite Meta's platforms being prohibited in China, the company continues to generate considerable ad revenue from Chinese firms targeting global audiences. Meta's financial reports reveal that China ranks among its largest sources of advertising revenue beyond the United States.
According to Ethan Tu, the founder of Taiwan AI Labs, a non-governmental organisation focused on artificial intelligence and information warfare within Asia, Facebook has a concerning history regarding content moderation. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed numerous posts showcasing Taiwan's success being censored on Facebook," he noted, as quoted by RFA.
Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook employee, indicated that the social media platform had started making numerous content moderation choices concerning China as early as before 2009. By 2018, the platform had already been actively negotiating with the Chinese government for four years.
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