Congressman demands Zuckerberg testimony after Meta whistleblower’s China allegations

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism chair Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Thursday sent Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg a letter summoning him to testify before Congress to answer for allegations of improper business dealings in China. The summons comes the day after the subcommittee heard testimony from a former Meta executive who came out as a whistleblower. 

The tech giant formerly known as Facebook, Inc. regularly briefed China’s government on critical emerging technologies including AI in order to gain access to Chinese markets, the witness said Wednesday. Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s former director of global public policy, told the subcommittee that Meta began briefing China on technology development in 2015 as part of its top-secret Project Aldrin initiative.

Meta AI briefings helped China develop military AI technology based on the open-source Llama model, Wynn-Williams said. The briefings also contributed to the development of China’s Deepseek AI company, she said.

What else did Wynn-Williams reveal during the hearing? Meta analyzed user behavior to target ads at users in emotionally disturbed states, like teenagers and young mothers, she said. She accused Meta executives of repeatedly lying to Congress about dealings with China in previous hearings. Meta also developed a censorship tool for content in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and shared user data with China’s government, she said.

How did Meta respond to the allegations? Meta spokesman Andy Stone said Wynn-Williams’ testimony was riddled with false claims. He also said that Meta was transparent about past efforts to do business with China and that the company no longer operates services there, NBC News reported.

What consequences does Wynn-Williams face for speaking out? Committee chair Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, said during the hearing that Wynn-Williams must pay $50,000 in damages every time she publicly mentions Facebook as a result of arbitration between her and the company. Hawley accused Meta of trying to silence her.

How did the Senate committee respond? Hawley said he is pursuing a thorough investigation into the company’s activities. Several Democratic and Republican senators also expressed outrage and supported the investigation.