Facebook may be banned in China, but the company’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg met this week with the government agency that oversees controls on the Internet in the nation, to discuss issues including the “important role” Facebook plays in helping Chinese companies expand overseas and cooperation. Sandberg, who joined Facebook in 2008, was also promoting the Chinese translation of her book “Lean In”, and called for a global push to address the stereotypes that hold women back. “I believe the time is right for change,” she said. China censors the Internet by blocking access to overseas websites including Facebook and Google’s YouTube, as well those containing pornography, gambling and content critical of the ruling Communist Party. Facebook has been restricted since 2009, shutting it out of a market with more than 591 million Web users.
Source: Bloomberg / Businessweek / Reuters