Sarah Wynn-Williams, formerly the head of Global Public Policy at Facebook, provided testimony before the U.S. Senate concerning the company’s interactions with China. According to her statements, Meta, previously known as Facebook, collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to allegedly “undermine U.S. national security and betray American values.”
Wynn-Williams alleged that Facebook developed custom censorship tools for the CCP, which allowed a “chief editor” to hold significant authority over content moderation. This capability reportedly included the power to shut down service in certain regions of China or on specific dates, such as the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Meta has contested Wynn-Williams’ claims. Ryan Daniels, a spokesperson for Meta, refuted her testimony, describing it as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.” Daniels explained that while Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg had publicly expressed interest in entering the Chinese market over a decade ago, the reality remains that Meta does not currently operate its services in China.
The anticipation surrounding Wynn-Williams’ testimony was heightened by her recent publication of a book about her time at Facebook titled “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism.” Following its release, Meta secured an interim decision from an arbitrator stating that Wynn-Williams breached a non-disparagement agreement signed upon her departure from the company. Despite Meta’s efforts to limit the book’s influence, it has achieved significant success and is currently ranked No. 2 on The New York Times Best Sellers list for non-fiction.
In discussions with TechCrunch, Meta indicated that the arbitration order does not prevent Wynn-Williams from testifying before Congress and assured they would not impede her legal rights. Meta acknowledged its business dealings in China are not hidden, despite its social media services being banned there. The company previously launched apps like Colorful Balloons and Moments in China, a fact publicly available through reports and government filings where it also disclosed advertising revenue generated from the country.
Documents shared by Wynn-Williams with Congress, partly revealed by Senator Josh Hawley, illustrated alleged communications within Facebook regarding providing the CCP with user data from China and Hong Kong. Senator Richard Blumenthal questioned Wynn-Williams about these claims, which she confirmed, asserting the existence of a censorship tool that included “virality counters.” These counters supposedly triggered content reviews whenever it amassed over 10,000 views, a feature activated not only in Hong Kong but also in Taiwan.
Senator Blumenthal reminded the audience that Zuckerberg had previously denied under oath the creation of censorship tools for the Chinese market. Wynn-Williams expressed concerns that if Meta were to share Chinese user data with China’s government, it might inadvertently include data from Americans interacting with users from China. Furthermore, she alleged that Meta had briefed Chinese authorities on advancements in areas like AI and facial recognition.
Wynn-Williams concluded her remarks by stating that Zuckerberg’s actions in the past decade reflect a significant business engagement with China while simultaneously presenting himself as a patriot. She noted that he continues to do so as Meta advances in the field of artificial intelligence.
