If only there was some principle that WhatsApp could abide by, rather then being torn between different governments, pressure groups ...
Local laws change. Facebook’s sociopathic culture has put it at a material disadvantage when it comes to public opinion and merger/regulatory approvals. If that spills into judgement of its employees, it could turn into a recruiting problem.
The moment Meta fails to follow any local law, policimakers all over the world will scratch their heads and think about how that could happen in their own juridictions. There will be consequences.
Moreover, most countries in the world regulate speech in many ways. I don't see why Meta should bear the responsibility of being the global free speech police when local citizens themselves were not keen at fighting this battle.
Meta has a thorough history of selectively following local laws.
> don't see why Meta should bear the responsibility of being the global free speech police
They don't. They have a duty to not undermining American interests overseas. If they need active lawmaking to tell them when they are and are not doing that, Congress will create a permanent regulator for them.