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Facebook developed the software, which suppresses posts from
appearing in people's news feeds in specific geographies, with
the support of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, the newspaper
said, citing unnamed current and former employees. (http://nyti.ms/2fPxUXQ)
Zuckerberg in March met China's propaganda chief Liu Yunshan who
said he hoped Facebook could strengthen exchanges and improve
mutual understanding with China's internet companies, according
to state news agency Xinhua.
"We have long said that we are interested in China, and are
spending time understanding and learning more about the
country," Facebook spokeswoman Arielle Aryah said in an emailed
statement to Reuters.
"However, we have not made any decision on our approach to
China. Our focus right now is on helping Chinese businesses and
developers expand to new markets outside China by using our ad
platform."
The Cybersecurity Administration of China, the country's
internet regulator, did not immediately respond to a faxed
request for comment. China's foreign ministry declined to
comment.
Foreign companies in China, especially in media, face political
pressure from a range of regulations. The country's military
newspaper calls the internet the most important front in an
ideological battle against "Western anti-China forces".
China, which has the world's largest population of internet
users, banned the website following the Urumqi riots in July
2009 in an effort to stem the flow of information about ethnic
unrest which left 140 people dead.
Though Facebook has developed the new tool, it does not intend
to suppress the posts itself, NYT said.
Facebook would instead offer the software to enable a third
party to monitor popular stories and topics that gain visibility
as users share them across the network, according to the Times.
The third party partner would have full control to decide
whether those posts should show up in users' feeds.
There is no indication Facebook has offered the software to the
authorities in China, the Times said. It is one of many ideas
Facebook has discussed with respect to entering China and it may
never see the light of day, it added.
Facebook, which has struggled in recent months to combat
allegations that it unfairly removes certain content on its
service, aims to continue to grow in developing nations where it
currently has smaller penetration rates.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Hay
and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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