Meta Whistleblower Alleges Company Aided China in Censorship Efforts
- tech360.tv
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A former Meta executive told US senators that the company compromised national security to build an USD 18 billion business in China, including allegedly cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party on censorship.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, former global public policy director at Facebook, testified before a Senate judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday, claiming Meta gave the Chinese government access to user data, including that of Americans.
She also alleged Meta worked closely with Beijing to develop censorship tools aimed at silencing critics of the Chinese Communist Party.
Wynn-Williams said Meta complied with Chinese demands to delete the Facebook account of Guo Wengui, a Chinese dissident living in the US.
Meta said Guo’s account was removed for violating its Community Standards.
Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels rejected Wynn-Williams’s claims, calling her testimony “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.”
Daniels acknowledged CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s public interest in operating in China but said Meta does not currently offer its services there.
However, Meta does generate advertising revenue from Chinese-based advertisers.
Wynn-Williams, who left the company in 2017, recently published a memoir titled “Careless People,” which includes critical claims about her time at Meta.
Meta obtained an emergency ruling in the US to temporarily block her from promoting the book, calling it “false and defamatory.”
Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, led Wednesday’s hearing and accused Meta of attempting to silence Wynn-Williams.
Hawley said Meta threatened her with USD 50,000 in punitive damages for each public mention of Facebook, even if her statements were true.
Meta told the BBC the damages apply to each material violation of the separation agreement Wynn-Williams signed upon leaving the company.
The company said she was not restricted from testifying before Congress but did not confirm whether it would pursue financial penalties for her statements.
Wynn-Williams said the experience had taken a personal toll, telling lawmakers, “Even the choice to come and speak to Congress is incredibly difficult.”
Sarah Wynn-Williams accused Meta of aiding China in censorship and data access
Meta denied the claims, stating it does not operate in China
Wynn-Williams said Meta removed a Chinese dissident’s account at Beijing’s request
Source: BBC