Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former executive at Meta Platforms who has turned whistleblower, intends to present her allegations before Congress, asserting that the social media company has jeopardized U.S. interests while fostering ties with China. Meta has dismissed these accusations as unfounded. Wynn-Williams, who previously held the position of director of global public policy at the firm, is scheduled to address the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on Wednesday, claiming she observed company executives actively undermining U.S. national security.
According to prepared statements obtained by Bloomberg News, Wynn-Williams contends that Meta began engaging with the Chinese Communist Party as early as 2015. “These briefings focused on critical emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. The explicit goal being to help China outcompete American companies,” she stated, referencing her recently published memoir, *Careless People*, which details her experiences at Facebook.
In her forthcoming testimony, Wynn-Williams will assert that there is a “straight line” connecting these briefings to the Chinese government’s current utilization of Meta’s AI technology to enhance its military capabilities, although she does not provide specific evidence or personal accounts to substantiate this claim. Wynn-Williams departed from Facebook in 2017.
The planned remarks were first covered by NBC News. In response, a Meta representative described the forthcoming testimony as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.”
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously acknowledged the company’s interest in potential operations in China, a subject that has been publicly discussed for over a decade, according to Meta spokesperson Andy Stone. However, Stone emphasized, “the fact is this: We do not operate our services in China today.”
Stone has also scrutinized a Reuters report alleging that AI models developed by Chinese researchers associated with the People’s Liberation Army were built using Meta’s technology, which Wynn-Williams appears to refer to in her claims.
While Facebook has not been able to launch its platform in China and remains banned there due to censorship concerns, Wynn-Williams plans to draw attention to Meta’s continuing business connections with the country, highlighting corporate filings that indicate revenue from advertisers based in China.
Wynn-Williams’ memoir has quickly risen to prominence on best-seller lists following Meta’s efforts to prevent her from making negative statements about the company through an emergency arbitration. Her book has attracted the attention of lawmakers, including Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri who chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee.
In early April, Hawley joined a bipartisan group of legislators to explore Wynn-Williams’ allegations that Meta supplied AI tools, including surveillance software, to the Chinese Communist Party.
© 2025 Bloomberg LP