Et tu, Zuckerberg? A Complex “Friending” Story

In July, news reports revealed Facebook, blocked in China, was working to expand its presence in China with the signing of a multi-year office lease in Beijing. Since then, media have reported Facebook staff appearing at major conferences in China, meeting with Chinese Internet regulators, and intensifying efforts to provide services to Chinese companies.

Facebook’s “friending” of China reached new heights when Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg joined the advisory board of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in October. More recently, Zuckerberg enthusiastically received Lu Wei, the head of China’s Cyberspace Administration, during Lu’s visit to the US. Predictably, there has been a backlash against Facebook by pundits and some Facebook users. One commentator argued Zuckerberg’s “charm offensive” was the “antithesis of what Silicon Valley stands for,” provided “fodder for promoting China’s model of Internet governance,” “and called on Facebook and other companies to be more supportive of US government initiatives to promote a free and open Internet.” According to one analysis, Zuckerberg seemingly believes Facebook can be an agent of change in China, though other Facebook executives are skeptical. Certainly, one can make reasonable arguments in support of both positions. Whatever the case, Facebook, like LinkedIn (which censors content and LinkedIn features inside China), is going to have to make some hard choices about the price it is willing to pay to enter China—that is, if it enters China—in terms of harm (if any) to its brand, damage (if any) to its efforts to recruit workers, and its ability to operate independently in the future. For some these issues are black & white: ethics demands rejection of Chinese government demands. Yet it is hard to believe the Internet will be freer and more open if Western firms completely opt out of its biggest segment.