E47 is just one example among a global constellation of state-affiliated internet censor squads both in Vietnam and around the world, but Facebookâs failure to stand up to the group should worry dissidents regardless of nationality, particularly those who might have bought into the companyâs promises in the past. In an October 2019 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that âFacebook stands for free expressionâ and that âin a democracy, a private company shouldnât have the power to censor politicians or the news.â COO Sheryl Sandberg testified under oath before Congress that the company âwould only operate in a country when we can do so in keeping with our values.â But an investigation by The Intercept shows that this public veneration of free expression exists in a different universe from the companyâs behind-the-scenes practices.