PoliticoFacebook CEO warns against spread of Chinese-style internet regulations

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg warned against the spread of China’s internet regulation model, saying it disregards human rights, during an online debate with the European Union’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday.

“That [spread] is really dangerous. I worry about that kind of model spreading to other countries,” Zuckerberg said, referring to countries that might be influenced by China’s example.

“The best antidote is having a clear regulatory framework that comes out of Western democratic countries and can become a standard around the world,” he added at the online event organised by the Centre on Regulation in Europe.

This was not the first time Zuckerberg, who recently turned 36, has criticised China’s regulatory model. In October last year, he slammed what he referred to as Chinese censorship, accusing Facebook rival TikTok of complying with government censorship of messages about Hong Kong protests. TikTok has denied this.

Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, Zuckerberg has tried to rebrand Facebook as a responsible actor willing to help communities by proactively fighting disinformation, helping small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a US$100 million grant programme, and providing funding to local newspapers affected by the crisis.

While Breton dismissed Zuckerberg’s plans for platform regulation when they first met in February, the tone has slightly shifted since. The EU commissioner praised Facebook’s recently announced Oversight Board, a group of independent experts and former lawmakers who will act as Facebook’s supreme court for content moderation disputes.