Senate Subcommittee Criticizes Meta Over Alleged China Ties and Data Security Concerns, Calls for Zuckerberg Testimony

On Wednesday, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism convened to address concerns regarding Meta’s operations in China. The session featured testimony from Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former employee of Meta, who has emerged as a public critic of the company. Her statements have sparked bipartisan criticism of Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, particularly concerning the company’s interactions with the Chinese government.

Wynn-Williams, who spent nearly seven years at Meta, provided written testimony claiming that the social media giant collaborated closely with the Chinese government to censor its platforms. She alleged that Meta developed specialized censorship tools for the Chinese Communist Party and permitted access to user data, including that of American users, by Chinese authorities. Additionally, she claimed that Meta removed the account of a Chinese dissident, raising further concerns about the company’s practices.

Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties expressed their disapproval of Meta’s actions, accusing the company of compromising American data security in its efforts to expand its presence in China. Senator Josh Hawley, the subcommittee’s chair, emphasized the need for continued investigation into Meta’s activities and indicated plans to seek testimony from Zuckerberg himself.

The hearing underscored the bipartisan frustration with Meta, as lawmakers scrutinized the company’s handling of data privacy and censorship issues. Wynn-Williams also mentioned in her testimony that Meta’s artificial intelligence model, known as “Llama,” was allegedly used to assist DeepSeek, further intensifying the scrutiny on the company’s operations and ethical practices.