Facebook worked on applications that was specific therefore it may possibly adapt censorship demands based on a report in the New York Times.
The social network refused to affirm or deny the software’s existence, but said in a statement it was “spending time comprehension and learning more” about China.
No decisions in regards to the strategy in the state of the company’s had yet been made, a spokeswoman said.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group which campaigns for better privacy online, told the BBC the job sounded “extremely disturbing”.
“Kudos to the Facebook employees who brought this to the attention of the New York Times,” said the EFF’s international policy analyst Eva Galperin.
“It is quite nice to know there are some principled people still working there.”
The sources – both current and former employees – stressed that like many bits of applications worked on internally, it may never be executed.
Censorship concessions
Since 2009, the only method to gain access to Facebook in China continues to be via a virtual private network – avoid local internet restrictions and software designed to “spoof” your actual place.
And in China, it appears the website is at the very least considering making concessions to China’s notoriously closely-tracked net.
Based on employees quoted anonymously from the New York Times’ reporter Mike Isaac, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was questioned in regards to the strategies in a all-staff meeting before this summer.
“It’s better for Facebook to be a part of empowering conversation, even when it’s not yet the full conversation,” he’s reported to have said while stressing it was early days.
Facebook’s spokeswoman wouldn’t confirm or deny the quotation was accurate.
Mr Zuckerberg lately spent time Xi Jinping, with China’s leader, along with taking time to understand Mandarin.
Third party company
Facebook consistently removes content in the network at the request of authorities.
It makes this process relatively public with a yearly report detailing the quantity and nature of take down requests.
Where this software would differ is in that it would empower a third party, likely a Chinese company working with Facebook, to prevent messages from appearing in the first place.
The number of topics censored in mainland China is vast. Most famously, searches related to the Tiananmen Square yield no results associated with the 1989 massacre.
Facebook isn’t the first first Silicon Valley giant to grapple with all the moral maze to do business in China.
Google famously pulled from mainland China following a backlash surrounding the censorship of search results. All traffic is now routed by it .
If Facebook follows LinkedIn’s lead, the EFF’s Ms Galperin said “Facebook would be trading in their principles in exchange for access to the industry. It would have huge implications for human rights.”
