Meta Whistleblower Accuses Company of Compromising U.S. Security, Collaborating With China on Censorship

A former Meta executive has accused the tech giant of compromising U.S. national security and cooperating with the Chinese government to censor political dissent, during explosive testimony before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Sarah Wynn-Williams, previously Facebook’s global public policy director, told lawmakers that Meta’s leadership knowingly enabled the Chinese Communist Party to access user data – including that of American citizens – while actively developing tools to suppress voices critical of Beijing.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, Wynn-Williams alleged that Meta worked “hand in glove” with Chinese authorities and cited the removal of Chinese dissident Guo Wengui’s Facebook account as an example of the company bowing to government pressure.

“One thing the Chinese Communist Party and Mark Zuckerberg share is that they want to silence their critics. I can say that from personal experience,” she said.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, strongly rejected her claims. “Sarah Wynn-Williams’ testimony is divorced from reality and riddled with false claims,” said Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels, who also insisted the company does not operate its services in China despite generating significant ad revenue from Chinese-based advertisers.

Wynn-Williams’ appearance before Congress follows the release of her memoir, Careless People, which documents her time at Facebook and includes a number of allegations. The company responded by securing a temporary court order barring her from promoting the book, describing it as “false and defamatory.”

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who led Wednesday’s hearing, criticized Meta for what he called attempts to silence Wynn-Williams. He accused the company of threatening her with severe financial penalties – allegedly $50,000 per mention of Facebook in public – due to a non-disparagement agreement she signed upon leaving the company in 2017.

“Why is it that Facebook is so desperate to prevent this witness from telling what she knows?” Hawley asked, adding that the company had “stopped at absolutely nothing” to block her testimony.

Meta denied trying to prevent her from testifying before Congress, telling the BBC that Wynn-Williams is free to speak before lawmakers. However, the company did not respond directly when asked if she might still face legal or financial repercussions for her statements under oath.

Wynn-Williams described the emotional strain she has faced in recent weeks. “Even the choice to come and speak to Congress is incredibly difficult,” she said.

She joins other former Meta employees, including Frances Haugen and Arturo Béjar, who have come forward with internal concerns about the company’s practices, further intensifying scrutiny over Meta’s global operations and influence.