Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former director at Meta, delivered a searing testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, accusing the tech giant of compromising American values and national security to expand its business in China. She alleged that Meta – formerly Facebook – collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to develop censorship tools and facilitate access to user data, including information on Americans. Her remarks have reignited scrutiny of Meta's operations and its ties to authoritarian regimes.
Wynn-Williams, who served as Facebook's Director of Global Public Policy from 2011 to 2017, painted a damning picture of the company's push to enter the lucrative Chinese market. She claimed that Meta executives misled employees, shareholders, Congress, and the public about their activities in China.
Meta allegedly began offering products in China as early as 2014 and was briefing CCP officials on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence by 2015. Wynn-Williams linked those briefings to recent reports that institutions tied to the People's Liberation Army have used Meta's AI model, Llama, for military purposes.
The testimony also referenced internal documents in which Meta pitched its services to help China "increase global influence and promote the China Dream." Wynn-Williams accused the company of pursuing a "secret mission" to build an undersea cable between China and the US – a plan she said was only halted after congressional intervention.
Meta has denied the allegations, with spokesman Andy Stone calling her claims "divorced from reality." He acknowledged that the company explored entering the Chinese market more than a decade ago but emphasized that Meta does not operate services in China today. Stone also accused Wynn-Williams of reviving outdated and false accusations from her bestselling memoir, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism. The book has become a flashpoint in this controversy, with Meta seeking to prevent her from promoting it due to a non-disparagement clause in her separation agreement.
Her testimony comes at considerable personal risk. Wynn-Williams defied an arbitrator's order prohibiting her from speaking publicly about Meta and claimed the company now wants $50,000 in damages for each time she mentions Facebook. Despite the legal threats, Careless People has climbed bestseller lists and earned praise for its unflinching critique of Meta's corporate culture.
The Washington Post notes that senators from both parties expressed alarm over her disclosures. Senator Josh Hawley questioned Zuckerberg's commitment to free speech in light of these revelations.
"I don't trust this latest reinvention at all," Hawley said, referring to Zuckerberg's recent rhetoric about defending free expression while allegedly silencing critics like Wynn-Williams.
Senator Chuck Grassley echoed these concerns, calling her allegations "very troubling" and accusing Meta of rolling out "the red carpet" for the CCP.
One particularly striking episode involved Meta allegedly restricting Guo Wengui's account in 2017 after pressure from Chinese regulators. Guo, a prominent critic of Beijing, was reportedly targeted as part of Meta's efforts to gain favor with Chinese authorities. Internal notes from that time acknowledged the pressure, stating that action was necessary "to get the party's cooperation." When asked about this during a previous Senate hearing, Meta's then-general counsel Colin Stretch stated that company policies led to the decision – a statement Wynn-Williams called a lie.
The whistleblower also testified that Zuckerberg was deeply involved in efforts to enter the Chinese market.
"This was a project unlike any other ... it was so centrally led by Mark Zuckerberg," she said.
Her complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission detailed how Meta developed a censorship system for China codenamed "Project Aldrin." The plan involved appointing a "chief editor" to shut down content during social unrest and giving CCP officials access to user data.
Although Meta officially abandoned its China ambitions in 2019, Wynn-Williams argued that the country remains a significant revenue source for the company. She cited SEC filings showing that revenue from Chinese advertisers totaled $18.35 billion in 2024 – more than doubling from 2022 financials.
In closing her testimony, Wynn-Williams urged Congress to hold Meta accountable for what she described as years of deception and complicity with authoritarian regimes.
"Meta has been willing to compromise its values, sacrifice the security of its users, and undermine American interests to build its China business," she declared. "It's been happening for years, covered up by lies, and continues to this day."
Whistleblower tells Congress Facebook worked with China on censorship and data access
