Facebook: A security threat to China

Beijing, Jul 10: Social networking sites like Facebook became a security threat to China, claimed a top Chinese think tank.

These sites are being used as "tools of subversion" by Western nations, including the United States, claimed

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in its annual report on the development of new media said, "Facebook has appeared as the rallying point for overseas Xinjiang separatist groups."

"These social networking sites have become a tool for political subversion used by Western nations, including the United States," said the report.

This view is significant in view of the fact that Beijing has also expressed concerns about the material appearing on the search engine Google.

China requires Google and other search companies to filter pornographic and politically sensitive content from their search results.

Google had earlier said it planned to stop censoring Google.cn, its search engine aimed at Chinese users, and that the move might lead it to shut its China offices altogether.

ANI