Update: Please see the comment from the blogger below. This is a non-story based on a false premise. Sorry for posting about it.
Update 2: The blogger who’s post started this story says it is not a non-issue. See the comments.
According to this somewhat flippant but interesting article by a reporter based in Taiwan, “Facebook seems to have dropped China-rival Taiwan from its alphabetical drop-down menu of member countries for FB support problems….”
I don’t know if this is true, and if it is I’d like to know whether it was always this way or if the change was recent. The author seems to believe this was done because Mark Zuckerberg is about to depart for a long trip to China, where he hopes to make his case for greater openness. (For context about Zuckerberg’s trip, go here.) Facebook, of course, is blocked in China.
Back to the disappearance of Taiwan from the drop-down menu:
While Facebook is banned inside Communist China, it does have free reign in democratic Taiwan, where internet censors do not control the net and thousands of happy Facebook fans are busy updating their walls and playing Farmville. In fact, Facebook pages are wildly popular on Isla Formosa with both local residents and expat residents.
But the other day, when a Yankee expat with a regular Facebook account tried to log on, he was notified by an automatic FB message that he needed to send his cellphone number by a secure route to Facebook HQ, where a four digit code would be sent to him by text message.
The gentleman was asked to go to a drop-down list of countries on Facebook to find the country he was in, and then send his international cellphone number to FB HQ. He had run into similar security issues in the past with Google and his Gmail accounts, and never had any trouble finding “Taiwan” on the list that Google sent him.
On scrolling through the drop-down list that FB had supplied, our friendly expat couldn’t find “Taiwan” anywhere. He looked again. Of course, there was no ”China” since China is not part of the FB Empire. But there was no ‘Taiwan” either.
How could that be? He looked again, from A to Z. Nada. No “Taiwan”.
Under the “T” section, there was one nation listed: ”Thailand”. But no ”Taiwan”.
He searched again, but no ”Taiwan”, no UN-sanctioned “Chinese Taipei” and no China-sanctioned “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan, Province of China.” Taiwan simply did not appear at all.
Stumped, he emailed the folks at Facebook. There has been no reply as of press. He also emailed Mark Zuckerberg’s personal email account. No reply….
Surely, not listing “Taiwan” on the drop-down listings on Facebook’s help and support pages is a mere sloppy oversight, and was not done to slight Taiwan, where millions of fans are FB members, chatting away in English, Chinese and Japanese, among other languages.
Mark? You there? Ever heard of Taiwan? Nice country just south of Japan, east of China, north of the Philippines? You might want to add its name to your drop-down support list of countries.
Again, I can’t verify this, but it doesn’t sound impossible. I remember the controversy when Google Maps listed Taiwan not as a country but as a province of China.
Zuckerberg’s is married to a woman girlfriend is of Chinese descent and has been studying Mandarin in preparation for the trip, according to the reporter. Exactly what he hopes to accomplish there remains to be seen.
Businesses come here for a billion customers, but Zuckerberg says he’s offering openness. The authorities aren’t totally sold on that, obviously. So, he’s already tweaked the channels a bit by saying in recent interviews that countries have different values and Facebook respects this, such as banning content about Nazis in Germany and pictures of Muhammad in Pakistan. He says China is “extremely complex” and he will humbly come here to listen and learn. This should appeal to Confucians.
It will be interesting to see what Zuckerberg gets out of this trip, if anything.
1
By Bryan
Considering that Zuckerburg is about to make a pitch for internet freedom, it’s odd that Facebook would ‘cut-out’ another region of the world (not to mention the image of kowtowing to a government that is not known for being on board with such ideals).
A better approach might have been to change Taiwan to Chinese Taipei, or whatever the most politically correct name is these days.
December 2, 2010 @ 2:28 am | Comment
2
By ecodelta
It would be interesting to do some research about the declarations of companies, entrepeneurs and politicians that justified an amicable relathionship and respect for their laws and views, with nazi germany in the 30’s.
It wouldn’t be surprising to find some argumentation similarities.
December 2, 2010 @ 8:01 am | Comment
3
By Michael A. Robson
Digging through the Help files is a bit much, at least they got the Home page right:
Log out of Facebook>> Check the bottom of the page for languages.
Click ‘More’…Click ［中文+］ … There’s three kinds of Chinese: Taiwan, HK, Simplified.
Zuckerberg married that girl? I thought they were just dating.
December 2, 2010 @ 8:24 am | Comment
4
By Michael A. Robson
“Considering that Zuckerburg is about to make a pitch for internet freedom, it’s odd that Facebook would ‘cut-out’ another region of the world (not to mention the image of kowtowing to a government that is not known for being on board with such ideals).”
What? If they did ‘cut out’ TW it would make perfect sense: appease the PRC. I don’t see the hypocrisy there. No one said anything about Facebook = internet freedom. I think that’s Google’s PR department.
December 2, 2010 @ 8:26 am | Comment
5
By lensovet
wait, what?
he’s talking about the Facebook Texts feature. That’s only available in countries where they have partnerships with mobile carriers. In the US, they didn’t support numbers on T-Mobile’s network for the longest time. Does that mean that they were kowtowing to AT&T or Verizon or GWB?
Yeah, reading way too much into this. Much more relevant is, for example, what can be set as your hometown or current city. That list is automatically populated via Wikipedia, so no problem with entries like Taipei, Taiwan.
December 2, 2010 @ 9:02 am | Comment
6
By Biko Lang
Dear Accidental Expat,
I happen to know the bloke who wrote that somewhat flippant but interesting article for TechEye in London, and therefore I can try to correct a few errors that flippantly crept into both the headline and the story itself. First of all, the upcoming-if-it-happens trip to China with gal pal Priscilla, they are not married, just co-habitating in each other’s homes, until the fairytale wedding at Lake Tahoe in 2015, this upcomiong trip to China had nothing, repeat nothing to do with the absence of Taiwan on FB’s dropdown menu on its help and support pages. Repeat, this is the help pages, not the choose your language page, as above comment says. Different page, sir.
RE: “Facebook seems to have dropped China-rival Taiwan from its alphabetical drop-down menu of member countries for FB support problems….” Operative word here is SEEMS, and even that is wrong, as some gremlinlike editor added that word to the original text to make the entire story seem more flippant, and its snarky flippantilism was more for fun than anything else.
So, no, the absence of TW on the menu pre-dated any news of MZ going to China. That needs to be clear. The headline writer in the UK took the flippant liberty of going overboard, one might say. Hwoever. you asked:
“I don’t know if this is true” — what is described in that article is true and it did really happen a few days ago but the absence of TW on the list has nothing to do with Mark’s trip to China. Nada. It’s been that way from day one. Ask FB.
2. re: “…and if it is I’d like to know whether it was always this way or if the change was recent.” Answer: always been that way from day one.
3. “The author seems to believe this was done because Mark Zuckerberg is about to depart for a long trip to China.” No, the author does not believe that for one second, I am sure, but the headline writer took liberties and poetic license to make the headline stronger than the original story and even the story as it appears in pixels on the screeeny page was tweaked to be more flippant and sexed up. In fact, the author I am sure never once thought the lack of a TV name on the list had anything to do with the China trip. It was always that way and it will always be that way until the technicians at FB read this article and make the changes. That was the real raison in the sun d’etre of the entire piece, to get FB off its tuches and correct a mere oversight.
What happened is this. FB used a menu list it buys from a supplier. This list is UN-matched. This list listed China. Since China is not a player in the FB empire, the FB people took China off the list, but at the same time, not aware that Taiwan is an independent nation over the seas from China, they oversightedly forget to add Taiwan to the list, even though Taiwan IS a FB player and has lots of farmville farmers online as we hunt and peck here.
Any other questions, please ask.
– Biko Lang, Accidental Bikolang
December 2, 2010 @ 3:03 pm | Comment
7
By Biko Lang
Two notes:
The TechEye headline “Facebook boss Zuckerberg drops Taiwan on way to China” originally had a question mark on it. So it should have read “Facebook boss Zuckerberg drops Taiwan on way to China?” Because tghe author knew that Zuuckerberg did not drop Taiwan on his way to China. But you know, headline writers rule the world. Poor writers have no say over what goes over their stories.
2. Your headline above ”Facebook drops Taiwan from country list?” is better because it at least makes it a question. But in fact, FB did not drop Taiwan from its country list menu. The sad and tragic fact, until it is later rectified, is that Taiwan NEVER was on the FB dropdown list of countries on its help and support pages. As was explained above.
So to be eclair, and e-clear:
Tawain was NOT DROPPED from any FB list. It was never on the list. This brewhaha (sic) had nothing to do with Mark’s trip to Beijing.
December 2, 2010 @ 3:21 pm | Comment
8
By Richard
Biko, thanks for the clarification. I intentionally put that question mark in there, and started by saying “If this is true” – because the way the story was written left me with some serious doubts.
December 2, 2010 @ 10:39 pm | Comment
9
By Biko Lang
Dear Acc. Expat,
Wait a minute, Richard! This was not a non-story. Your headline asked: “Facebook drops Taiwan from country list?” The fact is that Facebook did drop Taiwan from its help and support pages dropdown menu, and when FB made that menu, it never entered the name “Taiwan” on to the list. Of course, China was never entered into the list since China does not allow FB to operate there. But Taiwan is a member of the FB community worldwide, and the country name of Taiwan does NOT appear on its help and support dropdown menu. This is a fact.
Your hew headlined: “Facebook drops Taiwan from country list? (No.)” is therefore wrong. Taiwan was dropped from the country list menu, but not because of MArk’s planned trip to China, this dropping of Taiwan was done from the very beginning, long ago when FB first made the help support menu page. Ask Facebook. They will tell you. So the story is true correct: Mark plans to visit China this month, and Facebook’s dropdown menu does not list Taiwan on it at all. But there is no connection between the two facts. In writing up the “letter from Taiwan,” I combined the two stories, and as you know yourself as a headline writer, headlines sometimes, for reasons of space or cramming lots of information into one coherent hed and subhed, err on the side of 100 percent accuracy since they are sometimes trying to juggle two many apples in the air at one time.
RE: Your: “Update: Please see the comment from the blogger below. This is a non-story based on a false premise. Sorry for posting about it.”
1. Not a non-story at all, see above here.
2. The premise was never false, it just over-dramatized in the copyediting phase, but neither the author of the piece nor the copyeditor was conciously trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.
3. The fact still remains that
a. FB is not allowed inside China. (why?)
b. Mark Z is headed to China this month. (why?)
c. Taiwan, as an independent and soverign nation to the east of communist Chima, is a member of the FB intl community and yet it’s country name of Taiwan does not appear anywhere on the help support dropdrop menu.
So this story still has legs. You killed it prematurely. Watch.
December 3, 2010 @ 9:46 am | Comment
10
By Zodiac
“Facebook seems to have dropped China-rival Taiwan from its alphabetical drop-down menu of member countries for FB support problems….”
So?
Did you see that NASA has discovered a new life form that thrives on arsenic in a lake in California?
December 3, 2010 @ 5:06 pm | Comment
11
By Richard
I think C. on your list is the one item that might make this newsworthy. But the actual story is a far cry from the way the reporter packaged it, with the ti-in to Zuckerberg’s trip, so I’m sorry I wrote this post. And Facebook apparently never dropped Taiwan from the list, as it wasn’t there to begin with. That it wasn’t there to start with may be interesting, but it’s not like there’s breaking news of Facebook suddenly deleting Taiwan from the list, which is how the original article made it sound, whether due to poor copy editing or reporting.
December 3, 2010 @ 11:46 pm | Comment
12
By keisat
I find it very disturbing that Priscilla Chan was mentioned by that article. What does she have to do with this conjured-up conspiracy?
She is an American, and she met Zuckerberg before FB was invented (or, if I got the timeline wrong, before anybody thought FB would become what it is today), not some Chinese spy sent by the commies to infiltrate the HQ of a future global giant.
Now, Zuckerberg learning Mandarin might have something to do whatever decisions he might make regarding FB in China and it’s reasonable to mention it, but until there’s evidence that Priscilla Chan has a special bond (emotional, political, whatever) with the Chinese government, this whole charade is basically implying she’s fifth column, just because of her Chinese descent.
December 4, 2010 @ 6:27 am | Comment
13
By Biko Lang
Richard, thanks for note: my comments in CAPS.
re: “I think C. on your list is the one item that might make this newsworthy.” – YES. I AGREE.
”But the actual story is a far cry from the way the reporter packaged it, with the ti[e]-in to Zuckerberg’s trip, so I’m sorry I wrote this post.” – NO I AM GLAD YOU WROTE IT. THE DISCUSSION HERE HAS BEEN GOOD! AND HELPFUL!
“….And Facebook apparently never *dropped* Taiwan from the list, as it *wasn’t there* to begin with.” — TRUE, GOOD POINT. AND INTERESTING, TOO, NO? BUT YES, “DROPPED” was the wrong word TO USE THERE. AS FOR WHO TO BLAME FOR THE FLIPPANT AND FUZZY WAY THE STORY WAS PUBLISHED, …..”whether due to poor copy editing or reporting”….SINCE MY NAME IS ON THE STORY, LET ME TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND BLAME FOR ANY ERRORS IN THE PIECE. (db)
“….That it wasn’t there to start with may be interesting, but it’s not like there’s breaking news of Facebook suddenly deleting Taiwan from the list…” – TRUE. NOT BREAKING NEWS. AND FB DID NOT SUDDENLY DROP TW FROM THE LIST. SO, YES, INTERESTING, BUT NO, NOT BREAKING NEWS, I AGREE WITH YOU. AND AGAIN, MY NAME THERE, T TAKE FULL RESPONIBILITY FOR THIS CLOUDINESS…
“whether due to poor copy editing or reporting.” — AGAIN, NOT POOR COPY EDITING, AND NOT POOR REPORTING, see above notes, BUT MY TRYING TO COMBINE TWO NOT-COMPLETELY-RELATED STORIES INTO ONE SNARKY DISPATCH WAS PERHAPS AN ERROR OF JUDGMETN ON MY PART AND I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY CONFUSION THIS MIGHT HAVE LED TO. MY BAD.- db
December 4, 2010 @ 12:02 pm | Comment
14
By Biko Lang
@keisat, re: where you wrote, above, comment: my COMMENTS ETC with *** FOR EMPHASIS:
“I find it very *disturbing* that Priscilla Chan was mentioned by that article. What does she have *to do* with this *conjured-up conspiracy*? She is an American, and she met Zuckerberg before FB was invented (or, if I got the timeline wrong, before anybody thought FB would become what it is today), not some *Chinese spy* sent by the commies to *infiltrate* the HQ of a future global giant. Now, Zuckerberg learning Mandarin might have something to do whatever decisions he might make regarding FB in China and it’s reasonable to mention it, but until there’s evidence that Priscilla Chan has *a special bond* (emotional, political, whatever) with the *Chinese government*, this whole charade is basically *implying* she’s *fifth column*, just *because of* her Chinese descent.”
Where to begin? Jules Quartly writing in the China Daily in Beijing mentioned Priscilla Chan’s by *name* and “girlfriend relationship* in his dispatch which appeared a week before mine did. Nowhere did I imply she is part of any *conspiracy* or that she is some kind of Chinese spy. Can you show me where I said that? Or that I implied the was a commie spy meant to infiltrate FB HQ? Where did I say that? And also, agian, I never implied she was fifth column. Show me where. Maybe you read a different story than the one that appears on screen?
I would NEVER cast aspersions on people for their ethnic heriage, and I would never call people spies or fifth columnists. If you can show me anywhere in the story where I said such things, show me, and yes, I will surely apologize. I was just having FUN with a good story, two stories combined, my error in combining them, I should have filed them separately, and I apologize for not doing so and take full responsiblity for screwing up! SMILE.
But, no, keisat, sir, I never meant to imply anything about Ms Chan other than that she is his GF and that they both come from historical backgrounds going back 5000 years in history and that was mostly HUMOR, sir, HUMOR. If you read the website where the story appeared, TECHEYE in the UK, it is a very snarky, edgy site.
It says right on its front page: “TechEye – All the technology news unfit for print” — that’s HUMOR, keisat. So I think it’s important to note that this piece did not appear in the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune or the Times of London. Read the other stories on that site. It is a tech site with attitude. Maybe that was not clear to all readers here. I hope it now is. I stand by my story. I also sit down with my story. I also I admit I was a bit flippant in my “reportinng”. And if anyone was offended or put off by my flippancy, I do apologize and say sorry. Didn’t mean to cause a ruckus.
December 4, 2010 @ 12:23 pm | Comment
15
By Biko Lang
keisat, the CHINA DAILY wrote on Nov. 24
“So, there will be a picture of him on the Great Wall, he will visit the Forbidden City and if there are meetings in Shanghai he will take in the Bund. Then he will have to take time out from all the sightseeing to meet up with some of his ***Chinese-American girlfriend’s relatives, who live here.
“Zuck” has been diligent in his preparations for the big trip East, taking Mandarin lessons every day and studying Chinese history. If he’s clever (he is) he will know that meeting ****Priscilla Chan’s family in China is one step closer to marrying the woman he met at a frat party in his sophomore year at Harvard, where he developed Facebook.
titled
Zuckerberg has a date with destiny in the heart of China
2010-11-24
By Jules Quartly
BEIJING, Nov. 24 (Xinhuanet)
December 4, 2010 @ 1:44 pm | Comment
16
By Biko Lang
and keisat, on Nov. 8, Oliver Chiang at Forbes mag website wrote:
”A ‘New Yorker’ magazine profile of Zuckerberg in September suggests that the Facebook CEO and his ****Chinese-American girlfriend Priscilla Chan are planning a ***personal two-week trip to China in December. Zuckerberg’s questions on Facebook about China seem to confirm this. Even if the two are planning a personal trip, though, it’s hard to imagine Zuckerberg not taking the opportunity to size up China from a strategic point of view.”
December 4, 2010 @ 1:48 pm | Comment
17
By lensovet
wait, i’m still confused.
on the help pages, there are no “drop-down menus” for anything. the facebook website has a language selector, which is partly gated by Facebook and depends on user-generated translations.
on the account confirmation page, which asks for a mobile number, this feature only works with participating carriers! in Russia, there’s only one carrier supported, and not the one I used during my travel there last summer.
I still fail to see what the problem here is.
December 10, 2010 @ 8:55 am | Comment
18
By Richard
I thought the same thing; here’s the blogger’s response when I said this was a non-story/
December 10, 2010 @ 9:07 am | Comment
19
By lensovet
yeah, that explanation still doesn’t really explain anything. there are no support page drop-downs; cell phone number confirmations are carrier-partnership-dependent, and all this means is that FB hasn’t made any partnerships with Taiwanese cell carriers.
December 13, 2010 @ 4:54 am | Comment
20
By Stuart
Taiwan is Taiwan… Accept it or not, as a nation or something else ? it is there.
Just call it Taiwan.
In our view, it is a nation.
December 16, 2010 @ 2:21 am | Comment