TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Simon Milner, Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy for the Asia-Pacific region, on Friday refuted claims the company had worked with the Chinese government to censor content in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The allegations stemmed from testimony by Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook global public policy director, before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on April 9. Wynn-Williams accused Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of seeking collaboration with the CCP, helping to create a Facebook content review tool that was used in Taiwan and Hong Kong and tested by Chinese officials.

In response to these allegations, Milner denied that Meta used developer tools to monitor or suppress content in alignment with Beijing’s interests. He said that Meta had never received nor complied with any content review requests from China regarding posts from users in Taiwan, per CNA.

Meta had publicly announced in 2019 that it would cease efforts to enter the Chinese market. According to Milner, the allegations came from a former employee, dismissed eight years ago for performance issues.

Milner added the company has never shared any user data with Chinese authorities. He pointed out that Meta’s content review teams have never been stationed in China.

Milner provided insight into how Meta manages content moderation in Taiwan and other regions, noting that 3.4 billion people use Meta’s platforms and services daily, generating a high volume of global content reports. The company’s content policies are developed with input from experts in technology, public safety, and human rights to clearly define what content should not be allowed on its platforms.

Meta's content moderation team includes both full-time employees and external partners with diverse professional backgrounds, such as industry specialists, legal experts, and policy enforcement professionals. For Taiwan, the company employs native speakers fluent in traditional Chinese, ensuring cultural sensitivity and the ability to interpret content accurately.

Milner reaffirmed that Meta’s content moderation operations are not based in China. All content reviews are conducted in accordance with Meta’s community standards, developed by the company’s content policy team in consultation with external experts and non-governmental organizations.