In a dramatic congressional hearing this week, Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former senior executive at Meta, leveled explosive accusations against the tech giant and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, alleging that the company actively compromised U.S. national security in pursuit of an $18 billion business opportunity in China.
Speaking before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Senator Josh Hawley, Wynn-Williams claimed that Meta leadership “repeatedly undermined U.S. national security and betrayed American values” by giving the Chinese Communist Party access to user data — including that of American citizens — and collaborating with Beijing on censorship tools to suppress dissent online.
“Meta worked hand in glove with Beijing”
Wynn-Williams, whose testimony has drawn bipartisan attention, described how Meta allegedly forged dangerously close ties with the Chinese government. “Meta worked hand in glove with Beijing,” she said during the hearing, alleging that the company developed tools to assist Chinese authorities in controlling online narratives.
In one of the most searing lines of her testimony, Wynn-Williams declared, “The greatest trick Mark Zuckerberg ever pulled was wrapping the American flag around himself and calling himself a patriot… while he spent the last decade building an $18 billion business [in China].”
Her remarks, first reported by CBS News, have intensified scrutiny of Meta’s global operations and reignited longstanding concerns over the role of American tech companies in enabling authoritarian regimes.
Senator Hawley accuses Meta of silencing whistleblower
Senator Josh Hawley, a frequent critic of Big Tech, accused Meta of attempting to block Wynn-Williams from testifying. She further claimed that the company threatened her with penalties of $50,000 per violation of her separation agreement — a move she says was intended to intimidate and silence her.
Meta, however, maintains that the penalty clause applies only to breaches of contract and not to statements made during congressional proceedings.
Meta hits back: “Divorced from reality”
In response to the testimony, the company firmly denied all allegations. Company spokesperson Ryan Daniels dismissed Wynn-Williams’ claims as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.” While acknowledging Zuckerberg’s prior efforts to explore the Chinese market, Daniels stressed, “We do not operate our services in China today.”
Despite Meta’s rebuttal, Wynn-Williams’ testimony has opened a new chapter in the ongoing debate about tech accountability, foreign influence, and national security. The allegations — if substantiated — could have far-reaching implications not only for Meta but for U.S.-China tech relations as a whole.
