A former insider at Meta has come forward with explosive allegations that the tech giant shared sensitive data and proprietary technology with China, raising serious national security concerns. The whistleblower claims that American user information was improperly accessed or exposed, potentially putting millions at risk, while Meta executives looked the other way. The revelation adds fuel to growing criticism from Republicans who have long warned about Big Tech’s entanglements with foreign adversaries and its lack of accountability to the American people.
Earlier this week, former high-ranking Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams testified before Congress that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, knowingly put Americans’ private data at risk by cooperating with the Chinese government. She told Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, that “Meta executives repeatedly undermine U.S. national security and betray American values.”
During the Senate hearing, Hawley pressed Wynn-Williams on Meta’s handling of Chinese user data, highlighting that Facebook planned to store Chinese user data in China, potentially making it accessible to the Chinese government. Wynn-Williams confirmed this, adding that Meta was aware of the risk that Chinese servers could also capture communications between American and Chinese users. When asked if Facebook was willing to accept that risk, she replied, “Yes,” confirming that it was a deliberate decision following internal discussions.
Hawley claimed that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg “made censorship his business model,” adding that the evidence the subcommittee has “in black and white is a company and leadership that is willing to do anything, anything, work with America's chief competitor, work with our chief adversary.”
Wynn-Williams further accused Meta of cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party to censor content on its platform. She claimed that while at the company, she witnessed executives repeatedly make decisions that put Chinese business interests ahead of U.S. national security concerns.
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On Thursday, Hawley sent a letter to Zuckerberg, demanding he testify before the subcommittee following Wynn-Williams’ revelations that Chinese officials could "potentially access" the data of American users. Wynn-Williams also alleged that Zuckerberg was "personally invested" in Meta's business ties with China, noting that he committed to learning Mandarin and held weekly language sessions with employees.
"The American people deserve to know the truth about your company,” the senator wrote.
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