Former Facebook Executive Alleges Meta Compromised U.S. Security for China

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, making serious allegations against her former employer, Meta. During her testimony, she claimed that the company undermined U.S. national security in pursuit of business opportunities in China.

Wynn-Williams, who served as the Director of Global Public Policy at Facebook for nearly seven years, accused Meta of enabling Chinese advances in artificial intelligence. She stated, “We are engaged in a high-stakes AI arms race against China, and 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.”

Her allegations followed the recent release of her memoir, “Careless People,” which provides an insider’s view of the controversial practices within Meta. In her opening statement, Wynn-Williams highlighted how Meta aided the Chinese Communist Party by providing crucial information on emerging technologies, stating the goal was to enable China to outcompete American companies.

Among her more serious accusations, Wynn-Williams claimed that Meta’s AI models contributed significantly to China’s developments, specifically mentioning how they were linked to military applications. “There’s a straight line you can draw from these briefings to the recent revelations that China is developing AI models for military use, relying on Meta’s Llama model,” she asserted.

Wynn-Williams revealed a covert initiative dubbed “Project Aldrin,” through which Meta strategically sought to enter the Chinese market. As part of this effort, she alleged that the company built a physical data pipeline between the U.S. and China, ignoring direct warnings regarding its risks. “The only reason China does not currently have access to U.S. user data through this pipeline is because Congress stepped in,” she noted.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, who attended the hearing, expressed his outrage at the claims, categorizing Meta’s approach as “the height of hypocrisy for a supposed free speech champion.” He echoed Wynn-Williams’ sentiments, stating, “American people are going to be pretty outraged that Mark Zuckerberg sold out America to China.”

In response, a Meta spokesperson issued a statement dismissing Wynn-Williams’ allegations as “divorced from reality” and emphasized that while Zuckerberg had openly expressed interest in China, the company does not operate its services there today.

Wynn-Williams disputed this, alleging that Meta had in fact offered products and services in China as recently as 2014 and that the country was now the firm’s second-largest market. “Another lie,” she stated, referring to the company’s claims of non-operation in China.

The Senate hearing comes at a critical time as Meta prepares for a significant antitrust trial that could potentially result in the company divesting from its other platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. As the controversy unfolds, the implications of Wynn-Williams’ testimony could hold serious consequences for Meta and its future operations.