Twitter Logo is Seen Behind Silhouettes of People Using Smartphones (Photo : Reuters)
Twitter's newly appointed managing director Kathy Chen has caused a stir in China after reports unearthing her resume had revealed previously held roles in the Chinese military and the Ministry of Public Security.
Chen's public record shows that she worked for the People's Liberation Army for seven years. She also became the CEO of a joint venture between China's Ministry of Public Security and California-based firm CA Technologies.
Observers who raised their eyebrows over Chen's professional background were quick to say that something seemed odd behind the appointment.
Citing reactions from Chinese Twitter users, the USA Today said in a report that "the appointment of an executive who in the past had links to the country's military and its state security branch could imperil free expression on Twitter."
"It's not a place for CCP propaganda. Go away," said in a tweet quoted by the news website.
Some also postulate that Twitter users in China might now feel the need to be extra cautious when employing the social media platform.
"Netizens from China and Hong Kong may start to exercise self-censorship while they're posting tweets," Dr. Wai Ling Yeung, the former head of Chinese Studies at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, said in an interview with Quartz.
"Even more of them will probably choose to abandon this platform altogether in order to avoid surveillance," Yeung added.
The New York Times, meanwhile, called Chen's appointment a "contradiction."
Twitter, like Facebook and YouTube, is banned in China, but efforts from the group to woo the government are unnoticeable.
"Twitter has shown few indications that it was willing to submit to the restrictions that coming to China would require," the New York Times said.
Twitter spokesman Jim Prosser echoed the group's stance, saying that they have no intentions of becoming unblocked in China.
But despite being banned in the country, Twitter has been serious in selling ad spaces to Chinese firms, a task where Chen would fit in, according to the social media platform.
In addition to her responsibilities with advertisers, Chen will also be working alongside creators and developers, Twitter said.
