Former policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams filed a 78-page complaint revealing Facebook’s early plans to create a Chinese version of its platform—one that included censorship, user controls, and features approved by Beijing.
Facebook’s Plans for a Censored Platform
The New York Times first reported in 2016 that Facebook had developed a content moderation tool to gain access to China, where it has been blocked since 2009. Wynn-Williams, who oversaw Facebook’s global policy until her dismissal in 2017, has now disclosed further details. According to her complaint, submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and reviewed by The Washington Post, Facebook formed a team in 2014 to develop a China-compliant version of its platform. This initiative was internally named “Project Aldrin.”
Negotiations and Abandonment
As part of the project, Facebook planned to hire hundreds of moderators to enforce content restrictions, notes NIX Solutions. Additionally, discussions with Chinese officials reportedly included allowing a Chinese private equity firm to review user posts. In an attempt to secure market entry, the company even considered granting the Chinese government access to user data within the country.
However, in a statement to The Washington Post, company spokesman Andy Stone said Facebook’s interest in the Chinese market “is no secret.” He also pointed out that CEO Mark Zuckerberg formally abandoned efforts to launch a social network in China in 2019. Yet, we’ll keep you updated if any new developments emerge regarding this past initiative.