A former Facebook executive is set to deliver explosive testimony to Congress, alleging that Meta secretly collaborated with Chinese authorities to advance artificial intelligence capabilities while compromising US national security interests.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, who served as Facebook's Director of Global Public Policy from 2011 to 2017, claims Meta executives worked closely with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to develop censorship tools and shared critical AI technology insights as early as 2015.
According to her prepared testimony for a Senate subcommittee hearing, Meta aimed to "help China outcompete American companies" through detailed AI technology briefings. She draws a direct connection between these activities and recent reports that Chinese military institutions have utilized Meta's Llama AI model for potential defense applications.
The whistleblower alleges that Meta pursued an $18 billion business opportunity in China while misleading "employees, shareholders, Congress, and the American public" about the extent of their cooperation with Chinese authorities. Internal documents reportedly show Meta pitched its services by offering to "help China increase global influence and promote the China Dream."
Meta strongly disputes these claims. Company spokesperson Andy Stone called Wynn-Williams' testimony "divorced from reality and riddled with false claims." The company maintains it does not operate services in China, pointing to CEO Mark Zuckerberg's 2019 statement that Facebook never reached an agreement to operate in the country.
Wynn-Williams is testifying despite an arbitrator's order to cease promoting her bestselling book about her Facebook tenure. She argues that "The American people deserve to know the truth" about Meta's alleged compromises of user security and American interests in pursuit of Chinese market access.
The Senate hearing comes at a politically sensitive time, with Republican lawmakers maintaining scrutiny over big tech companies' market power and handling of user data, even as some conservatives show signs of warming to Meta's recent policy shifts.