Not everyone is wearing a virtual reality device at Facebook. A few employees have their eyes wide open, according to Antimedia.com. They’re not happy with Facebook’s “new algorithmic censorship practices” that Mr. Zuckerberg and his team have developed, which can “restrict certain kinds of posts from appearing in users’ news feeds in certain geographic areas.” Three former employees, who chose to remain anonymous, say this type of censorship has already been employed in Russia, Pakistan and Turkey, where, in deference to those governments, Facebook removed 55,000 pages of content.
In China, however, which is a market that Facebook has craved, but not yet cracked, the censorship has a different twist, as reported by The New York Times. In this instance, Facebook would not be doing the picking and choosing of information. Instead, they would create software and give to a third party, most likely a Chinese company, who would then monitor posts and make determinations on whether or not they passed muster. There is no absolute deal – yet – on what compromises Facebook would make for a Chinese entry, and many options may exist.
Other technology companies have had limited success or even failed in getting into the tightly controlled nation. According to NYTimes.com reporter Mike Issac, Twitter and Google have refused to bend to the demands of Chinese authorities and have been blocked access. LinkedIn, on the other hand, agreed to China’s demands to remove some content. Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, controls over the internet have been tightened.
Some Chinese officials are warming to the idea of a Facebook being allowed into their cyberspace, as long as it’s done under “official standards” because that would allow “easy tracking of political opinions deemed problematic.” When we ponder the NSA’s automatic tracking every phone call, email and financial transaction, it’s apparent that Facebook is already utilized as a way to gage the our nation’s temperament at any time, keep an eye on whomever Homeland Security may consider to be dissidents and be an integral part of the global mind control beast.
In addition to those three anonymous Facebook ex-employees, there were others working on the “suppression tool,” that left the company. The censorship topic also became a central one at Facebook’s weekly Q&A sessions. But the bottom line is that Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook revenues to expand with the Chinese population. It seems obvious that he’ll do whatever it takes to get it.
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