A former top executive at Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has accused the tech giant of risking U.S. national security in order to grow its reach in China. The claims surfaced during a Senate hearing this week, sparking new concerns about the company’s practices and global partnerships.
Former Insider Shares Alarming Testimony
Sarah Wynn-Williams, who once served as director of global public policy at Facebook, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. She said Meta’s leadership allowed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to access private data from Meta users, including Americans.
Wynn-Williams made strong claims that the company knowingly worked with Beijing to gain business advantages in the Chinese market. She also suggested Meta helped create tools to silence critics of the Chinese government. One such critic was Guo Wengui, a U.S.-based dissident, whose Facebook page was removed.
Meta denies these accusations, calling them false and misleading. Company spokesman Ryan Daniels said her testimony “lacked credibility” and included many “inaccuracies.” While acknowledging Mark Zuckerberg’s interest in China, Daniels stressed that Meta does not operate any services in the country.
Still, Meta earns advertising revenue from companies based in China, which raises more questions about its indirect ties to the country.
Censorship Claims and Political Pressure
Wynn-Williams claimed Meta took actions that aligned with the Chinese government’s wishes. She said the removal of Guo Wengui’s Facebook account was politically motivated. However, Meta responded that his account was deactivated because it violated the platform’s rules—not because of outside pressure.
According to Wynn-Williams, the company helped build systems that could block or remove posts critical of Beijing. She claimed that Zuckerberg and the Chinese government shared a goal: to control dissent and silence opposing voices.
These allegations suggest Meta was not just trying to enter the Chinese market but was also willing to work with the government to do so.
Legal Threats and Memoir Controversy
In March, Wynn-Williams released a memoir titled Careless People. In it, she shares her experiences inside Meta and highlights what she believes are serious flaws in the company’s culture and practices.
Shortly after the book’s release, Meta obtained a court order to block her from promoting it. The company said the book included “serious inaccuracies” and should not have been published. They also stated that Wynn-Williams violated a separation agreement signed when she left the company in 2017.
Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who led Wednesday’s hearing, criticized Meta’s legal efforts to silence Wynn-Williams. He said the company tried everything possible to stop her from speaking to Congress.
Previous Whistleblower Cases
Wynn-Williams now joins a growing list of former Meta employees who have spoken out against the company. Others include Frances Haugen, who leaked internal documents showing Meta’s knowledge of Instagram’s harmful effects on teen mental health, and Arturo Béjar, who spoke out about the platform’s failure to protect children from harmful content.
In January 2024, Hawley confronted Mark Zuckerberg in a heated hearing. Families affected by social media harms were present. Some had lost children due to cyberbullying and other issues on Meta platforms. At the time, Zuckerberg expressed sympathy, saying, “No one should have to go through what you’ve experienced.”
Financial Penalties for Speaking Out
Wynn-Williams said Meta warned her that she would face financial punishment for speaking about Facebook. According to Senator Hawley, the company told her she would owe $50,000 every time she mentioned Facebook in public—even if her statements were true.
Meta responded by saying the penalties applied only if she broke terms of the 2017 separation deal. They claimed she had no limits on testifying before Congress. However, they did not say whether more legal action would follow.
An Emotional Journey
Wynn-Williams told lawmakers that the past few months had taken a heavy toll on her. She said speaking out had been one of the hardest choices of her life. “This has been incredibly difficult,” she said. “But I felt it was necessary.”
She said her goal was to shine a light on troubling behavior inside one of the world’s most powerful tech firms. Her testimony comes as lawmakers push for more oversight of social media companies and their global influence.
Growing Pressure on Big Tech
This latest hearing adds to the growing tension between lawmakers and tech firms. Congress continues to examine how companies like Meta handle user data, deal with foreign governments, and respond to harmful content on their platforms.
The accusations against Meta come at a time when public trust in Big Tech is already low. Lawmakers are calling for stronger rules to protect users and stop potential foreign influence.