Ex-Meta Whistleblower Alleges Ties to China, Threats to U.S. Security

Former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams will testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism today, alleging that Meta knowingly cooperated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to build an $18 billion business in China—at the expense of U.S. national security.

Wynn-Williams, who served as Facebook’s Director of Global Public Policy from 2011 to 2017, is expected to tell lawmakers that Meta executives engaged in secret efforts to appease the CCP, including building custom censorship tools, briefing Chinese officials on emerging technologies like AI, and providing access to user data—including that of Americans.

“Throughout those seven years, I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine U.S. national security and betray American values,” Wynn-Williams states in her prepared remarks. "During my time at Meta, company executives lied about what they were doing with the Chinese Communist Party to employees, shareholders, Congress, and the American public."

Allegations of Secret Briefings and AI Cooperation

As early as 2014, Wynn-Williams claims Meta began offering products and services in China. By 2015, she says, the company was briefing the Chinese Communist Party on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, with what she describes as “the explicit goal being to help China outcompete American companies.”

“There’s a straight line you can draw from these briefings,” she adds, “to the recent revelations that China is developing AI models for military use, relying on Meta’s Llama model.” Her remarks appear to reference a November Reuters report that found top Chinese research institutions, some linked to the People’s Liberation Army, had used Meta’s open-source Llama model to develop an AI tool with potential military applications.

Book Gag Order and Continued Defiance

Her testimony builds on allegations laid out in her memoir Careless People, which quickly became a bestseller but also prompted Meta to seek - and obtain - a gag order preventing her from promoting the book in media interviews. Wynn-Williams has defied that order to appear before Congress, claiming that the public has a right to know.

“Meta has been willing to compromise its values, sacrifice the security of its users, and undermine American interests to build its China business,” she plans to tell the committee. “It’s been happening for years, covered up by lies, and continues to this day.”

Among her most serious allegations:

• Meta partnered “hand in glove” with the CCP to support censorship.

• The company pitched itself as a way to “help China increase global influence and promote the China Dream.”

• Meta allegedly helped design a secret data pipeline project, Project Aldrin, intended to connect China and the U.S., which was halted by Congress.

Meta Responds

In response, Meta has dismissed Wynn-Williams' claims as outdated and inaccurate. A spokesperson told NBC News that her book contains “false accusations” and relies on information that is “out-of-date and previously reported.” By the time Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly acknowledged in 2019 that Facebook never reached an agreement to operate in China—saying “they never let us in”—Wynn-Williams had already left the company.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone issued a statement dismissing the claims as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.” He acknowledged that Meta explored entering the Chinese market in the 2010s but emphasized that “we do not operate our services in China today.”

Meta also maintains that while it objected to Wynn-Williams giving media interviews, her testimony before Congress is not prohibited by her separation agreement or the arbitration ruling.

Ongoing Scrutiny From Lawmakers

Although former President Donald Trump pushed to ease regulations on tech firms, Senate subcommittee chair Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) remains a vocal critic of companies like Meta, accusing them of wielding “monopolistic power” to shape public discourse and control personal data, according to NBC News.

While platforms like TikTok have drawn scrutiny for their ties to Beijing, Wynn-Williams’ testimony highlights that U.S.-based tech giants are also facing growing concerns over national security risks.

Despite Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to align more closely with Republican leaders in recent years, congressional Republicans continue to apply pressure—particularly through investigations at the Federal Trade Commission.

What This Means

Sarah Wynn-Williams' testimony adds fuel to growing concerns about how major U.S. tech companies engage with authoritarian regimes in pursuit of global market access. While TikTok has been the focus of bipartisan scrutiny for its Chinese ownership, her allegations suggest that American firms may also be entangled in ethically and politically fraught relationships with Beijing.

If proven credible, the claims could trigger further congressional investigations, heighten regulatory pressure on Meta, and influence ongoing debates over AI governance and data sovereignty. They also underscore the urgent need for clearer U.S. policy on AI development and export controls—particularly as open-source models like LLaMA are increasingly used by foreign actors, including those linked to military applications.

Whistleblowers from within Big Tech may continue to play a key role in shaping public understanding and informing future legislation aimed at safeguarding national security in the age of artificial intelligence.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.